Dimitri and Rose: The Forbidden Love
by brontee.belikov
Summary: What happens when someone finds out about Rose and Dimitri? Someone unexpected turns. The school turns into a state of perril. Someone is taken. will they survive? Set sometime after Frostibte  Spoilers  Rated T  - may have suggestive lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Vampire Academy fanfic! I _really_ hope you like it. I spent _ages _on it. Okay, well, not _that_ long :)**

**I haven't forgotten about my Twilight fanfic, but i'm not really into it at the moment and i don't want to ruin it by writing something that i don't feel like. So, instead i've written this.**

**you know the drill.. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

_Dimitri's POV _

_RING!  
RING!  
RING!_

I groaned and rolled over to hit the button on my alarm. It felt like I had only been asleep for two seconds! How could sleep go so quickly? I got out of my warm, comfy bed and grabbed clothes for the day. Dark washed jeans and a white V-neck tee. After a hot shower I felt wide awake and ready for a new day. First thing on the list to do today: Practise with Rose in the gym in ten minutes. I always looked forward to the training sessions with Rosemarie Hathaway. She was an aspiring guardian and would graduate in less than six months. I was her mentor. After she and Princess Vasilisa Dragomir had run away from St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose had seriously lost a lot of her stamina and strength through lack of training and it was my job to bring her back up to speed with her fellow novices.

I made my way to the gym, with one of my western books in my hand. Rose was always late, and I would have about five or ten minutes to read before Rose would show up. I walked into the gym and sprawled up against the wall with my book. I had only read about two pages when Rose walked through the door, gym bag in her hand.

"Good morning, Comrade!" she sang. Hmmm... so she was in a good mood today. "Hello Rose." I replied, as she made her way into the change rooms to get changed. She came out a couple of minutes later dressed in shorts and a tank top. She looked really good in those clothes. _No, don't think about Rose in THAT way. She's your student! _I slapped myself mentally.

"Okay, what are we going to do today, Dimitri?" Roza asked me, pulling me back from my own little world. I really needed to stop entertaining thoughts like that. Even though I loved my Roza with all my heart, we could never be together. We had to protect the Royal Moroi, Vasilisa Dragomir. She was our priority. Her life was valuable to the Moroi world and it was up to Rose and myself to protect her from any Strigoi. Or, really, not just Strigoi but anyone and anything that threatened the safety of Lissa.

"Um..." I reached into the leather pocket attached to the waist band of my jeans and pulled out a practise silver stake for Rose to practise with. "We will be working on staking a Strigoi." I said as I tossed the fake stake to her and she caught it easily by the hilt. "But, I already know how to stake a Strigoi!" Rose complained. This was true. She _did _know how to stake a Strigoi, but I wanted her to practise on a moving target. Me. "Yes, that's true." I said slowly. "But, you have never staked an actual Strigoi" I pointed out. This made her think. "Hmmm... so do you have any Strigoi hidden somewhere for me to stake?" she asked in her usual joking manner. I gave her an exasperated look and rolled my eyes. This made her laugh. God, I loved it when she laughed. Especially when she was laughing at something _I_ had said. A shudder ran down my spine in a nice tingling way. Roza always made me feel like that. "No, Rose" I said. "Does that look like a _real_ stake to you?" I asked pointing at the fake silver stake she held in her small hands. Rose looked down at the stake and studied it carefully. Finally she looked back at me. "No, this is a fake." I nodded in response. "I want you to attack me with it. It won't hurt me." I told her.

I stood in front of Rose and she took her stance opposite me. "Okay Comrade, you're going down." Rose said with a menacing glint in her large chocolate brown eyes. HA, she actually thought she would win. Well, I'll just have to make sure she doesn't. I didn't want her getting cocky.

She came at me then, and I dodged her cleanly and easily. We started a dance of some kind, always trying to attack each other, but never getting the upper hand. We knew each other too well. In the end, neither of us had made any progress. I called an end to the practise session for the morning.

"That's it for today, Rose," I said. "There is no point in continuing for now. We will pick it up after your classes." I looked at Rose, who had collapsed onto the floor and was now relaxing. I smiled at the childish act. She looked back at me and held out her hands.

"Help me up, Comrade?" she asked with a sweet smile. I sighed and extended my hands to hers, clasping them in mine. I pulled her up, but she stumbled from exhaustion and fell against me. Our bodies were pressed together and I could feel the rise and fall of Rose's chest against my torso. Electricity sparked between us and Rose look up at me from under her thick eyelashes. God, she was so beautiful when she did that. Suddenly, she pressed her lips against mine and kissed me fiercely. I hesitated at first then responded to her kiss, pushing her up against the wall and pressing closer to her body. _No! Stop! This isn't right! So wrong! _Reason and logic warred in my head as mine and Rose's breathing grew ragged and harsh. I broke away and kissed down her jaw as she gasped for breath.

"Oh Roza..." I murmured against her skin.

That's when I heard it. Someone was walking into the gym. I gasped in surprise and wheeled around. Eddie. _Shit, shit, shit._ "Eddie..." Rose stammered, looking at her friend with pleading eyes. "Eddie, please listen." Eddie cut her off. "How could you do that Rose? What about Mason? He only died a _week_ ago and you're already off making out with other guys?" Eddie was really upset. Rose had never really been with Mason. She had told me that just after he died. Well, I suppose _died_ isn't really the right word to use. Mason Ashford had been _murdered _by Strigoi. Eddie swore and left the gym slamming the door behind him. I slowly turned back to Rose. She was on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and she had tears pouring down her face. "Roza... I'm so sorry." I said. I sat down next to her and, wrapping my arms around her shaking body, I pulled her into my side. I murmured softly in her ear in Russian. Telling her it was okay. Everything would be fine. I knew she didn't understand a word of it, but my soothing tone seemed to calm her down slightly.

"What if he tells?" she asked me, lifting her head to stare into my eyes. "If he tells Kirova, you'll lose your job and I'll be expelled... and... and..." she couldn't go on because just then, another violent sob wracked through her body. "Everything will be fine Roza." I said softly. I didn't know this for sure, but we would work through it some way. We had to. "Eddie is you friend. He won't tell anyone." At least I hoped not. She looked up at me again with tears glistening in her depthless brown eyes. "But, he _might _tell someone." She sobbed. "I have to go talk to him! I have to explain that I was never with Mason, and that _this _is what I want." I didn't think that it was really a good idea to go and talk to Eddie right now. "Rose, I think you should give him some time." I said. "Let Eddie calm down and think." She stood up and muttered something about being late for class. "Rose, maybe you should take the day off and calm down too." I said. I could see that she was angry and upset and scared. She really felt the need to go and talk to Eddie. Rose agreed to go back to her room and relax. She hugged me then left the gym.

After Rose left, I sat down up against the wall and sighed audibly. I hoped Rose would be okay, and I _really_ hoped that Eddie wouldn't tell anyone about what he saw. I got up and went to the weights room. I needed to let off some steam before I got angry. And weights always did the trick.

_Rose's POV._

As I left the gym, all the other novices started spilling into the room. Some stared at me, at my face. I knew I looked a mess. With tears streaking my face and blotchy red eyes, I didn't look like the normal Rose Hathaway at all. I never cried, at least not where people could see.

Making my way to my room, ignoring all the staring and calls of my name, I reminisced about that kiss. God, I loved the way Dimitri's warm lips felt against mine. I remembered his hesitance when I first kissed him, and I remembered the force of his lips when he finally responded to my kiss. But, tainting that remarkable kiss was the look on Eddie's face when he saw. I couldn't get it out of my head, and I was wracked with guilt. Mason had been Eddie's best friend. Eddie had always assumed that Mason and I were dating. This was not technically true. Mason and I had always been really close, and just before he was killed, we had been getting closer. But, I knew that I had used Mason as a distraction from Dimitri when he had been flirting with Christian Ozera's aunt, Tasha who was a long time friend of Dimitri's.

Back in my dorm, I lay down on my bed. I felt so guilty. Not because I loved Dimitri, but because of Eddie. He had no idea that Mason and I had never been a couple. I had to talk to him. I got off my bed and headed down to the commons. It was lunch, so Eddie should be there. Walking into the commons, my eyes automatically scanned the room for Eddie, but I couldn't see him. My gaze landed on Lissa, Christian and Adrian Ivashkov. I walked over to them and slid into the seat next to Adrian.

"Anyone seen Eddie?" I asked my friends.

"Nope, sorry Rose." Adrian answered my question.

"I haven't seen him at all today," Lissa said. "He never turned up to any classes. And speaking of classes, I heard that you were a no show this morning too." Lissa looked at me questioningly. At least she didn't know about Dimitri and I. It seemed that Eddie had not said anything to anyone. Thank God for that.

"Stomach ache," I lied lamely. I hated lying to Lissa. But, I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't risk it getting out. Lissa looked at me like she didn't believe me. I decided I needed to get out of there before anyone else asked any questions that I didn't have answers to. "Anyway, I'm going back to bed. I'll see you guys later."

'Bye, Rose." They all said.

Through the bond, Lissa's voice sounded worried. "_I'll come see you later?" _It sounded like a question. I knew she would be watching me closely from behind, so I just nodded my head twice. _"Thanks. I'll come by around eight."_ Lissa's voice sounded slightly relieved. She had thought that I wouldn't let her come over to my room. But I missed Lissa. We never got any time to just hang out together anymore. She spent a lot of her time making out with Christian, while I spent my time in training with Dimitri.

As I walked back into my room, I noticed the date up on my calendar. 12th December. It was Mason's birthday tomorrow. He would have been eighteen. I took a deep ragged breath and collapsed onto my soft queen bed. I missed Mason so much. And, I still felt like it was my fault he had died. I was the one who had told him that the Strigoi were in Spokane. If I hadn't told him, he would never have run off to find them. He would still be alive. A sob wracked through my body, making me shudder. For the first time since Mason's death, griefe overtook my self-control and I finally let the tears run freely.

**That's the first chapter :) i hope to have the second one up tonight, but i may not have time because i have homework to finish. So, content yourself with this chapter and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story and some of the plot is taken from VA. All characters belong to the awesome Richelle Mead.**

**Enjoy chapter 2 and please R&R.**

**xx**

Chapter 2.

_Dimitri's POV._

I waited in the gym for Rose, but she never showed. I sighed, picked up my book and made my way out of the gym. I headed towards the dorms. I had to see that Rose was okay. I had seen Eddie earlier. If looks could kill, I would be dead by now. The look he gave me was full of hatred and disgust. I felt bad. Eddie and Mason had been best friends.

I reached Rose's room and knocked on the door. Rose opened the door. Looking at her, I could see that she had been crying. Her face was red and tear streaked. My heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces seeing her like this. She looked so vulnerable and breakable, like a small child.

"Oh, Roza," I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly to my chest. I led her over to her bed, kicking the door shut behind me, and sat her down on the edge of the bed. I dragged a chair over so that I was facing her. Rose closed her eyes and new tears ran down her beautiful face. Reaching out hesitantly, I stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears. She opened her eyes when my hand touched her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I know, stupid question. It was blatantly obvious that she was, in fact _not _okay. Instead of answering she moved forward and wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in the hollow between my shoulder and my neck. My arms automatically circled around her waist and I pulled her onto my lap, cuddling her close and whispering soothing words in her ear.

Slowly, Roza's sobs began to subside and she lapsed into an exhausted sleep with her arms still around me and mine around her. I stood up with her in my arms and I cradled her to me before placing her sleeping form back on her bed a pulling the covers up around her. She stirred slightly and murmured something that I didn't quite hear. I stayed still and I watched her sleep. I waited hoping that she would speak again. I wanted to know what she was talking about.

I was about to give up and leave when she spoke again. Her lips parted slightly and she whispered; "Dimitri... mmmm... I love you." Shock and pleasure ran through me. I had known that Rose loved me, but to hear her say it was like an early Christmas for a child. I was so happy! "I love you too, Roza," I murmured quietly and left her room with my heart soaring.

_Rose's POV._

_Dimitri and I were standing on the edge of the forest that surrounded St. Vladimir's Academy. We were just talking. He was telling me that I was going to be a great guardian for Lissa and that we would make a great team working together. _

_The dream scene dissolved around me and then re-appeared. Dimitri and I were on my bed and he was kissing my neck. _

_Dimitri was whispering in my ear. "I love you Roza... you have no idea how much. I have always loved you, ever since I met you. He continued to kiss down my neck making me shudder. "Dimitri... mmmm... I love you." I whispered into his hair as I brought his lips back to mine and crushed mine against his._

Someone was banging on my door. Ugh, who would wake me up! I rolled over and sat up. Suddenly my dream came flooding back to me. I smiled as I remembered that my dream Dimitri had said that he loved me. It wasn't the same as having the real Dimitri say it, but it was much better than nothing.

More knocking on my door and Lissa's voice came through. "Rose! Come on... open up!" I rolled off my bed and walked to the door. Lissa burst in yelling at me. "Rose, I have been knocking on your door for ages! You knew I was coming, so why did you go to sleep?" I sighed and sat back down on my bed. "I'm sorry, Liss. I fell asleep. You know I'm not feeling well." I lied. She gave me a look that said she knew I was lying. I ignored it. I hated it when she did that. Lissa knew me too well. Better than I knew myself sometimes.

"Rose," Lissa said, her voice and face softening. "I know it's something else. In fact, I think I know what it is." What? Shit! Had Eddie told after all? Oh my gosh! I was so dead. So was Dimitri. But, what Lissa said next made me sigh in relief.

"It's Mason's eighteenth birthday tomorrow," There was sadness and regret in her voice. She hadn't been as close to Mason as I had been, but she had been friends with him and she missed him greatly. "I was thinking... Maybe we could do something special for him?" She said it like a question, hesitantly. "You know, just you, me, Christian and Eddie..." I sighed. Lissa was too nice.

"Um... I don't know, Liss," I said. It was a good idea, but I wasn't really in the mood for it. And I didn't want to see Eddie. "You know Mase never liked birthday parties." This was true. I know, how could someone _not _like birthday parties? But Mason had always been shy and didn't like people making a fuss over him.

Lissa looked sad and taken aback. I had never said no to a party before. "It won't be anything big, just us," She said. "Just a little get together... some food and drinks. We could have it in my room or wherever really." She looked desperate, trying to say something to make me say yes.

Sighing, I stood up and walked over to my mirror where I had a photo of Mason and I at a school dance. He looked cute in his black tuxedo with his red hair all messy, just the way he liked it. I picked up the photo and took it back to my bed, sitting down beside Lissa. She looked at me curiously and I passed her the photo. "This was taken at the dance before we left." I told her. As I watched, her eyes filled with tears and they slowly rolled down her beautiful face. I pulled her into a hug and let my tears come. We sat silently for a while, both of us crying quietly.

"I miss him so much, Liss," I whimpered into Lissa's shoulder as she held me. "If it wasn't for me, Mason would still be alive." I felt a sob run through Lissa's body. "This is _all _my fault!" I was crying loudly now. Lissa held me until I stopped crying. Mason would not have wanted me to be this upset over him. He would have told me to move on and be happy. But, how could I possibly be happy when Mason was _dead?_

Sighing, Lissa gave me one last hug and stood up. I looked at her, her beautiful green eyes were all puffy and red and her face was streaked with tears from crying. "I better go," She said. "I need to get back to my room before curfew and I also need to finish my homework... um..., we'll talk tomorrow, but, I really think we should do something for Mason." She finished with a hopeful smile. She knew I couldn't resist that smile.

"Aw, Liss don't give me that face!" I cried. "That's not fair!" I giggled. Looking at her, I knew she was right. We _should_ do something for Mason's birthday. I finally relented. "Okay, fine, but nothing big and just you, me, Christian and Eddie. Oh, and maybe Adrian... I guess we shouldn't leave him out." I concluded. Lissa jumped with joy. "Thank you, Rose. You won't regret this. It'll be the most special birthday." She exclaimed. Then she said quietly; "A final goodbye." She smiled slightly and left my room.

I laid back on my bed thinking. Lissa was right, this would be good. A final goodbye to my best friend. "I miss you Mason... and I love you." I whispered, hoping that he could hear me from wherever he was. Slowly, I drifted off into a much needed deep sleep.

**Awww, I miss Mason **

**I will post the third chapter if I have at least 5 new reviews.**

**Sooooo... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I know I said that I wasn't going to update until I got the reviews I wanted, but, I have finished this chapter and I REALLY wanna share it with you! I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: the usual. VA is not mine. Neither are the characters mentioned in the story. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**Now, on with chapter 3. Enjoy!**

**xx**

Chapter 3.

Dimitri's POV.

I walked into the gym and sprawled out up against the wall at the far end with my book. Rose would be here soon. Hopefully. I needed to see her, to know that she was okay. She had been an absolute mess last night when I had gone to see her. I had never seen Rose cry like that before and just thinking about it made my heart twist in pain.

I looked up as Rose slipped in through the door, from the cold winter weather. "Hi Dimitri." She murmured so quietly, that if it wasn't for my enhanced dhampir hearing, I would not have heard her quiet greeting.

"Hello Rose." I returned as she went into the locker room.

I sighed and got up. I already knew what we were going to do today. Circuit training. Rose hated circuit training, but it was essential for keeping up her fitness and stamina. As she came out of the locker room, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the program for Rose to read so she would know what she was going to do in training.

I handed it to her when she walked over to me. I was braced for the complaint, but she said nothing, just scanned her eyes down the list and then looked back at me. "How many rotations?" She asked me.

"Mmmmm... three." I said. She nodded slowly then made her way to the weights room. I showed her what I wanted her to do and how many, then sat up against the wall with my book. I didn't really read, I mostly watched Rose as she worked out. She looked like a goddess, a mask of concentration placed firmly on her face as she exerted her energy.

When Rose was done with the weights, she looked back at the list and headed towards the door. Sprints were next. I decided to go with her. I stood up, stretched quickly and jogged after her.

Once we were outside on the track, we began. We did one-hundred meter sprints with a two minute break between each sprint. We didn't speak at all. The only sound was our heavy breathing, and the pounding of our feet as we ran.

As we crossed the finish line on our last sprint, me just ahead of Rose, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I didn't really get a good look at it. But, to me it looked like a person. Frowning slightly, I left Rose, who gave me a curious look, and darted over the corner of the track. There was nothing there. I had a bad feeling about this, but I shook it off and went back to Rose.

"Everything okay, Comrade?" She asked me. She looked a bit worried about me. I liked that more than I should have.

"Yeah, everything is okay," I told her. "I just thought I saw something... but it was nothing." I finished.

We both turned and left the track, heading back inside. We parted ways when we reached the gym. Rose went into the girls locker room, and I into the guys.

After a quick shower, I dressed and hurried off to my first watch post. I exchanged a few words with the guardian whom I was relieving, and then started my patrol of the school grounds. While I walked, I thought about Rose. She hadn't said much to me during our training session, and I had forgotten to ask her if she was better today. I silently cursed myself for that slip-up. I should have asked her. She probably thinks that I don't care! I was beginning to think that I was being irrational. Rose knew I cared about her. She knew that I loved her more than anything or anyone in the world! My Roza was everything to me, and she always would be.

"Belikov!"' I turned at the sound of my name being called. A guardian whose name had momentarily evaded me, came strutting up to me. "Your shift is over. It's my turn." Frowning, I looked at my watch and was surprised to see that I had been out walking for over four hours. Ugh, where did the time go!

"Uhh, yeah. Okay, I'm going now." I told the older guardian. I turned and walked back to my room. I had just enough time to have a short sleep before the afternoon training session with Rose.

_Rose's POV._

After I left Dimitri in the gym, I went to my first class. Combat class. I used to love this class, but since Mason's death, it was not any fun anymore. He used to make it fun for me. Now, it was something I dreaded. Also, Eddie was in this class with me. I reached the door, and, pausing to take a deep breath, I pushed open the door and walked in.

I scanned the room, and saw Eddie leaning against the far wall of the room. He noticed my entrance and looked up. I smiled cautiously and gave a small wave. Eddie hesitated, the raised his arm and motioned for me to come to him. I walked over to Eddie slowly. I don't know why I was so hesitant, he didn't _look _angry, in fact, I could see a small smile playing around the corner of his lips.

When I reached Eddie, I smiled again. "Hey Eddie," I said in a falsely cheerful voice.

He eyed me suspiciously, then his face smoothed. "Hey Rose..." He said. Eddie opened his mouth to continue, but we were interrupted by the teacher beginning the class. _"Later" _I mouthed. Eddie nodded in response.

After class, Eddie hurried out of the room. I jogged to catch up to him. "Eddie, I thought you wanted to say something?" I asked him. He just shrugged his shoulders and made a comical noise in the back of his throat.

"I have nothing to say, Rose," Eddie finally said, sighing. "It's your life. You do with it whatever you want. And if you want Belikov, then go get him." He concluded. I could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I miss him too, you know," I told Eddie. "He was my best friend, and I loved him... just not in the way you think. Mason and I never dated. We were just really close friends. You have to know that." Telling Eddie this made me calm down. I had been freaking out ever since he had seen Dimitri and I kiss in the gym.

"I don't think you know how much Mason loved you, Rose. He loved you as more than a friend. A lot more. He would have done anything for you." Eddie said as we sat down in our next class. I knew that Mason's feelings toward me had been more than friendly, he had really wanted us to work as a couple, but I had always known that I could not be with Mason, not when I love Dimitri. It wouldn't have been fair to Mason.

I told Eddie about Lissa's idea for a party for Mason's eighteenth. He said it was a good idea. I told him that I was meeting with Lissa at lunch to discuss what we were going to do.

"Wanna come?" I asked him.

He considered for a moment, then said; "Yeah, that would be great." I smiled in response.

We lapsed into silence when class began, but I had a feeling that I was making some progress with my friendship with Eddie.

During class, I suddenly was overwhelmed with a searing headache. I gasped in pain and clutched at my head, my eyes closed in pure agony.

"Rose!" I could hear Eddie calling my name through the haze of pain the covered my body. "Rose, what is it?" I tried unsuccessfully to pull away from the pain, to focus on something else, but I couldn't. It had taken over my body and it was so painful.

I felt someone's strong hands grip my shoulders and lift me up to my feet. I tried to resist at first, but then I realised who it was. There was only one person who wore aftershave like that. Dimitri.

"Come on, Roza," He whispered in my ear. "Just relax. Everything will be okay." He continued to murmur in my ear, and I took comfort from the soft sound of his beautiful voice, focussing on the slight Russian accent that laced his words... but, everything was becoming distant and hazy and soon I was overcome with blackness.

_Dimitri's POV._

My phone woke me up. I rolled over and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. It was Alberta.

"Alberta?" I said into the phone.

"I'm sorry, Guardian Belikov if I woke you, but I need you to fill in for one of the other guardians. He says he's not feeling up to guarding Stan's class." Alberta told me.

I sighed quietly. "Okay, I'm on my way." I replied and hung up. Great, now I had to work. I would be in Rose's class.

I got out of bed and dressed quickly, then headed in the direction of Stan Alto's classroom.

I slipped in un-noticed and stood at the back with the other guardians. As I stood, I watched Rose, just for something to do. Nothing major ever happened in classes that required guardians, but still, we had to protect.

Rose and Eddie were talking about something, and I was tempted to listen in. I wanted to know what they were saying. Had Eddie forgiven Rose? I didn't know. But, I tuned their conversation out and focused on my job. In the outside world, guardians focused on one-on-one protection with their Moroi, but, in the Academy, with so many others to protect, we guarded as a group, protecting groups of students at a time. It was more conventional.

I heard Rose gasp and my head snapped around to face her. Her small hands clenched at her head and her eyes were crammed shut. She was in agony. Not many people had noticed Rose, but Eddie and I had. Eddie was leaning over her in an instant. "Rose!" He said desperately, his hands trying to pry hers from her head. "Rose, what is it?" A frightened look crossed Eddie's face.

I broke away from my post and crossed the room quickly, bending down beside Rose's desk. I grasped her shoulders and lifted her easily from her seat, supporting her weight as she sagged slightly. "Come on Roza," I whispered in her ear. "Just relax. Everything will be okay." As I took her from the room, I continued to murmur in her ear in Russian, calming her down. Then, she passed out.

**Reviews please! **

**Isn't Dimka cute? He cares sooooo much about Rose. *sigh***

**R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hellooo, I know it's been a couple of days since I last updated, but I have been REALLY busy lately. I have had to choose all my subjects for year 10 next year and that has been time consuming and also, I have had a LOT of homework =.= but, enough excuses. **

**Thankyouuu for the reviews, but I would LOVE to see more. Many people have added my story to their favourites/alerts, but haven't left comments. Please, if you don't review, I'm going to think that you don't like my story ):**

**Now, on with chapter 4. Sorry it's so short, but chapter 5 will hopefully be up tonight. (Australian time.)**

Chapter 4.

_Dimitri's POV._

I took Rose to the medical clinic and placed her unconscious body down on one of the beds. Dr Olendzki came hurrying out of her office and immediately bent over Rose, examining her.

"What happened, Guardian Belikov?" She asked me and she took Rose's temperature.

"I'm not sure," I said uncertainly. "She was fine, then she was clutching her head and in pain. She passed out while I was bringing her here." I told Dr Olendzki. She shook her head and sighed.

"I'm not sure what happened with her," She told me, a slightly frazzled look on her face. "There are no physical signs that anything is wrong. I suppose we could do some tests, but otherwise, I don't know if there is anything I can do for her. She turned and headed back to her office.

I stayed and watched Rose. She looked comfortable, almost like she was sleeping. After a while, she stirred and mumbled incoherently. As I watched, her eyes slowly drifted open.

"Roza?" I murmured quietly as she became fully aware of where she was. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

She turned her head to the side to face me. "I feel fine." She said. I was surprised. She had been in so much pain before, and now she was fine? Something wasn't right.

"Rose... what happened in Stan's class?" I asked her gently.

"I... I had a really bad headache. I don't remember much. Just that you brought me here, and I remember the pain, but u guess I must have passed out." Rose said.

Hrmmm... weird. "Were you fine before Stan's class?" I asked Rose.

"Yes, I was fine. I was talking to Eddie, and then I felt a white hot pain in my head." She pointed to the front of her head. "Just here." She informed me.

"Has it ever happened before?" I didn't think that it had, but I had to check.

"Um... well, I have had a few headaches lately. Well, no, more than headaches. More like migraines, but nothing ever this bad." Rose replied.

He sat in silence for a few minutes, then Rose startled me by sitting up in her bed and exclaiming, "Shit!"

"What Rose? What is it?" I asked her, thinking she was in pain again. My hands flew to her, hovering centimetres from her face.

"I was meant to meet Lissa and Eddie at lunch," she groaned. I suppressed a small chuckle.

"Oh, I think you could be forgiven," I said, my voice amused. "You are, after all, in the infirmary." I stated.

"Yes but we were going to plan..." she trailed off.

"Yes Roza?" I asked her, encouraging her to continue.

She took a deep shuddering breath. "We were going to plan a sort of birthday party for Mason... It's his birthday today. He would have been eighteen. And, we wanted to do something special for him, as a final goodbye." The way she said it made me start to choke up. I had never been particularly fond of Mason, because I had thought that he was my competition for Rose. I realise now, that that had been stupid, he would have been perfect for Rose. But his death was horrible and too early. His life should never have been taken from him when he was only seventeen.

"Oh." Seriously! That was all I could say? Words had evaded me and I couldn't think of anything to say. Just then, saving me from having to say something else, Dr Olendzki came out of her office and hurried over to Rose.

"How are you feeling Miss Hathaway?" she asked in a gentle but formal voice.

"I feel fine now, thank you." Rose replied.

"Well, if you feel up to it I guess you can go, but," she turned to me before continuing "No training for a couple of days and plenty of rest." She ordered.

I nodded and helped Rose to her feet. "I'll take you back to your room." I told her as I led her to the door of the med clinic.

"But, I have to see Lissa!" Rose said, trying to pull out of my grip. She stumbled in the effort and I automatically reached out to steady her before she fell.

"No, Roza. You need rest. I will get the Princess and bring her to your room." We had reached Rose's room and I opened the door, helping her over to her bed. "You get changed and I'll go find Lissa." I left her then and went to the Moroi dorm. I knocked lightly on the Princess' door. She opened it with a look of surprise on her face.

"Guardian Belikov," she addressed me. "Is everything okay?"

"Good evening Princess," I said bowing slightly. "I think Rose would like to see you, she is out of the med clinic and wants to see you and Eddie... something about Mason's party? It sounded like a question.

"Oh yes, um just a sec." She went to her desk and picked up a piece of paper the followed me out the door.

"How is Rose?" She asked me as we walked back to Rose's room.

"Better," I said. "She says she feels fine now, and doesn't know what happened in class." Even I could hear the worry in my voice, and I was usually very good at hiding my emotions. Not when it came to Rose though. She could always tell how I was feeling and she brought out the emotions in me, making me feel raw emotion whenever I was near her. Love, lust, care. All those feelings that I could never act on. Well, I could always care about her, that was allowed, but I couldn't let myself love her. I had once told her that if I were to love her while we were both protecting Lissa, then when or if we faced danger, I would throw myself in front of her and not Lissa, like I should. I could never let that happen. Lissa's life was more important than anything. _She _came first.

Lissa looked at me with a worried expression. "Eddie said she was in so much pain... and she passed out?"

"Yes, she passed out while I was taking her to the clinic," I told Lissa.

We had arrived at Rose's room and I pushed the door open. Rose was sitting on her bed in her pyjamas. They were cute too. She was wearing a red and white candy striped singlet with Elmo on the front and blue mini shorts that also had Elmo on them. I smiled. Never picked Rose for an Elmo fan. **(A/N: I love Elmo! He is soooo cute)**

_Rose's POV._

"Rose." Lissa sighed in relief when she saw and Dimitri came through the door.

"Hey Liss," I said, hugging her as she sat down beside me. Dimitri stood up against the wall, and watched us with a slight smile on his lips.

"You know you kind of remind me of my sister, Viktoria when she is with her friend, Marina." Dimitri said. His face glowed as he thought of his family. He had told me that Viktoria was his little sister and she was about a year younger than me. I smiled at him. I liked it when he was happy and he was always happy when he thought about his family back in Baia.

I turned back to Lissa. "So, have you decided what we are going to do to honour Mason?" I asked Lissa. She handed me a piece of paper with her neat handwriting on it.

"Yes, I think I have," she said. "I hope you think it's a good idea. Eddie helped me decide and Christian did too.

I looked down at the paper and read what Lissa had written.

_**Party plans.**_

_Food._

_Guests. (Rose, Eddie, Christian, Adrian, myself. __Dimitri?__)_

_Have party down by the cabin near the stream. (one of Mason's favourite places.) White lilies to put on the water. (Just something special to remember him, something we can all do together.)_

I looked up at Lissa. "Good, I like the lily idea." She glowed at my praise.

She turned to Dimitri. "Guardian Belikov, we were planning a special birthday for Mason's eighteenth, would you like to join us?" she looked a bit nervous as she asked, casting a side long glance in my direction.

Dimitri looked at Lissa, then at me, like he was looking for an answer. "I... yes, I would love to join you, Princess." He said eventually, addressing Lissa.

After that, Dimitri left and Lissa and I watched a movie before she had to go back to her room for curfew.

When Lissa left, I went back to my bed and lay down, thinking. We were all going to meet up tomorrow after my training session with Dimitri. It would be Saturday, so we didn't have school. I let Lissa organise everything because she was good at planning events. She was also in charge of informing Christian, Adrian and Eddie of the plans for meeting at the cabin in the morning.

I got off my bed and walked over to the window, sitting down on my window seat. I looked out and saw something move _very _quickly. I looked back to where it vanished, but there was nothing there. A weird feeling crossed me. What was that? The only thing I had ever seen move that fast was a strigoi, but there was no way strigoi could get onto the school grounds. We were protected by wards, and a strigoi couldn't cross wards. I shook it off, probably just my imagination, I thought. I went back to bed, the odd feeling lurking in the back of my mind. Sleep quickly claimed me.

_Dimitri's POV._

After I left Rose and the Princess, I wondered back to my room. I didn't have any guard duty tonight so I had time before I would go to bed. I walked aimlessly around, eventually finding myself at the gym. Walking into the weights room, I picked up barbells and began to lift them, one in each hand, alternating lifts. Weights were always a good way to tire yourself out, it required a lot of energy.

I lost track of time, and when I did finally look at the clock, I realised I had been in the gym for three hours. I put everything away and wiped my face with a towel. Sighing I left the gym and walked back to my room, collapsing on the bed and falling asleep before my head had even hit the pillow.

**Like? Dislike? Any suggestions for what I can do for Mason's party?**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, nor it's characters. Just the story line.**

**Please R&R and enjoy this chapter.**

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**CHAPTER 5.**

_Dimitri's POV._

The next morning, I woke up feeling groggy and sort of weak. Probably just because I had spent so much time in the gym last night. Looking at the clock, I saw that I was late meeting Rose. I quickly jumped out of bed and dressed. I hurried to the gym, and got there just as Rose was starting her warm-up exercises.

"Well, well, well, never thought I'd see the day _you _were late, Comrade." Rose said, looking up as I entered the gym.

"Ha ha, it was _my _turn to be late, Rose," I said. "You're always the one who's late, so I thought you could wait for _me _this time." I joked.

Rose finished her stretches and walked over to where I stood. "What do you want me to do?" She asked. Honestly, I hadn't even thought of what I wanted her to do today, so I improvise.

"Laps," I told her. "And, I want you to beat your last times." Rose groaned and walked out of the gym to start running. I picked up a stopwatch and followed.

Standing at the finish line, I watched as Rose took off, running with style and grace. She was beautiful. _These thoughts really need to stop! _I scolded myself. Rose slowed slightly, and her face scrunched up like she was concentrating on something really hard. She crossed the finish line, but had added thirty seconds to her time.

"What happened out there Rose?" I asked her. She had sat down on the ground and was rubbing her temples with her fore-fingers.

"Um, just a headache." She said. I watched her closely for any signs that it was like what had happened yesterday.

"Just a headache?" I made sure that it was in fact, just a headache.

"Yeah, nothing like yesterdays. Just a little pain, but it's okay. I'll take some aspirin later."

"Well, okay, but make sure you get some rest and a drink of water." I ordered her.

"Mmmm." Was her reply.

I helped her up and we walked back to the gym. Lissa came up to us then, and saw the look on Rose's face.

"Rose... what happened?" Lissa looked worried. "Is everything okay? Do you have another migraine? Lissa reached out her palm to Rose and a look of deep concentration masked her face.

"I'm fine, Liss," Rose said, pulling away from Lissa. "I just need a drink, that's all." She lied to Lissa. Lissa looked shocked and a little hurt, but pulled her hand back from Rose. I furrowed my eyebrows. Why would Rose lie to Lissa? That wasn't something friends did. Rose shot me a look that plainly said; _keep quiet and don't tell her._ I nodded my head once in response. _Message delivered._

"Well, get changed and we'll go down to the cabin," Lissa told Rose and I. "Christian, Eddie and Adrian are already there."

Rose looked back over her shoulder at Lissa. "You go on down, we'll meet you there soon." The way she said it wasn't mean exactly, but it was harsher than I had ever heard her speak to Lissa. Rose was usually extremely patient and kind hearted toward Lissa, not at the moment though.

Realising that she had been a bit harsh, Rose smiled warmly at Lissa, who visibly relaxed. "I'll be there soon, Liss." Smiling, Lissa turned away and walked off.

We both showered and changed, and headed out of the gym. We walked together toward the dorms. Rose wanted to drop her bag off in her room, and grab some aspirin. Rose and I walked in silence for most of the walk. We reached her room, and Rose went inside. I waited, leaning against the door frame. I looked around her room. Typical teenager's room. Lots of photos of her and Lissa. There was one where they were dressed up as fairies, a Halloween party I guessed. My eyes continued to roam her room, clothes on the floor, drawers left open and bed un-made.

"Like my room, Comrade?" Rose asked as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"It's messy," I stated the obvious.

She smirked. "Yeah, couldn't be bothered cleaning it up." She said as we descended the stairs and walked out into the cool morning.

We walked in silence until Rose gasped and dropped to her knees. "Rose!" I rushed over to her, bending down beside her and gripping her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "What's wrong?" She lifter her head up and I saw tears glistening in her brown eyes.

"Head, again." She whimpered. I pulled her forward and glancing around me to make sure no one was around, I pressed my lips gently to her fore head.

"It's okay Roza. Everything will be fine." I murmured to her.

"I just want it to _stop._" Her voice broke on the word _stop. _She looked defeated, so fragile and small. It was a heart breaking sight and it hurt to see her like this. She raised her head and looked me in the eyes. Rose rubbed at her wet eyes then sighed and stood up, offering her hand to me. She pulled me up and I looked at her again.

"Are you sure you are okay?" I was still really worried. These constant headaches could not be good. I wondered what they meant.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I think so. It's mostly gone now." This was getting weird. She experienced extreme pain and then a minute later, it's gone? Something wasn't right.

"Do you notice any triggers to the pain?" I asked her. Maybe it was something particular that was causing this.

"No, just random pains." She shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh. "Let's just go. Lissa and the others will be wondering where we are." She started walking again and after a moment of hesitation, I followed.

As we neared the cabin which was located on the out skirts of the school grounds, we could see Lissa, Eddie, Christian and Adrian. I didn't like Adrian. He was always flirting with Rose and looked at her like she was something to eat. He was just another arrogant royal Moroi wanting to get with a cute dhampir like Rose. _Wait! No, don't think about Rose like that. _I sighed, these thoughts about Rose, my _student_ had to stop. It was beyond inappropriate. It was just plain _wrong_.

We had reached the others by now. Lissa came up to us and pulled Rose over to the cabin. "Come on, what took you so long?" Ooh, dangerous question. I knew that Rose didn't want Lissa, her best friend to know about the headaches. Rose just shrugged, "Had to get changed and take my stuff back to my room." _Way to dodge a question Rose. _I thought. Lissa led us to the edge of the stream. It was a beautiful scene. Trees overhang on the water, casting a shadow and the cool breeze sifted through the leaves, rustling them. The cabin stood to the left of the water's edge. The cabin used to be an old watch post for the guardians, but the academy didn't have enough guardians to accommodate it anymore.

Lissa had set up a table laden with food and refreshments. Beside it stood a crystal bowl filled with white lilies, all prefect and white.

Everyone greeted Rose and I. It felt a little weird to be with a group of teenagers, but I supposed it was like being with my little sister, Viktoria who was sixteen, younger than this group. Thinking about Viktoria made my heart ache with longing. I missed her so much. I missed all my family very much. Paul, my nephew, Sonya and Katerina, my older sisters, my mum, and my grandmother. I missed them more than anything.

Lissa interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. "Okay everyone, we all know why we are here. A very important person was taken from our lives not long ago and today we are going to celebrate his eighteenth birthday, which was yesterday. Mason Ashford was a very close friend of most of us here." _With the exception of myself and Adrian_ I thought to myself. Lissa continued. "And I know that I miss him very much, and I know that everyone else here does." A single tear slid down Lissa's pale cheek and a small sob went through her petite body. I felt Rose shudder beside me. I never realised how much Mason had meant to her, _still _means to her. He was very special to Rose, and although they never really had a relationship that was anything more than friendship, I knew that she loved him and missed him greatly.

Lissa concluded her speech and then led us to the bowl of lilies. "Everyone take one." She murmured so quietly, that it was almost impossible to hear her. We all picked up a small lily and followed Lissa over to the water's edge. One by one, everyone threw them into the water and said something about Mason.

Adrian went first. He tossed the flower lightly into the water. "Bye Mason... and happy birthday buddy." Adrian stepped back and I saw sorrow and sadness in his eyes. I had never seen this side of Adrian. He always seemed so carefree and immature. I never knew he could be understanding and mournful.

Next was Lissa. She cried silently, tears glistening on her cheeks. "I love you Mason... you would have made a great guardian and I miss you. You were always a special and important person in my life, and, at times, you were there for Rose when I wasn't. Happy birthday. She choked up and couldn't say anymore.

Eddie went after Lissa. I had never seen Eddie like this. He looked so vulnerable and defeated. I remembered that Mason had been Eddie's best friend, almost like a brother. "Mason... you were always there for me, when I needed a friend and someone to talk to. Especially when my brother died... you gave me the support I needed. Happy birthday Mase..." Eddie trailed off and looked away closing his eyes.

My turn. I felt a little awkward as I had never really gotten to know Mason. I threw the flower into the water and sighed. "Happy eighteenth birthday Mason. You should have been here to enjoy it. What happened to you was cruel and vial. A fantastic life tragically cut short. You would have been a great asset to the guardians." I stepped back from the water. I felt a lump form in my throat and I struggled to swallow. I held back the tears.

After Christian, it was finally Rose's turn. She found my hand and pulled me forward with her, lacing her fingers through mine. I knew the others would be watching. Rose began to speak. "Mason, I love you _so_ much. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through... I wish I could have saved you, but I just... couldn't. I think about you every day, and each day I hope that it will get easier but I find that every day it gets harder and harder. I think about the future without you in my life and it hurts so much. I will _always _love you Mason. Happy birthday, Mase." Rose turned her head into my chest and started to shake. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her shaking form. "It's okay, Roza." I whispered so that only Rose would hear. I heard Lissa tell the others to come away and grab something to eat. Finally just Rose and I were left. I pulled her to the ground. She leaned up against me with her head buried into my chest.

Raising her head, she looked into my eyes. "I'm sorry." She muttered. I just held her tighter and let her cry. Finally, it seemed that she could cry no more. I lifted her to her feet, she swayed and I automatically steadied her. I wiped away the remaining tears on her beautiful face. The others had already left. I looked at my watch and realised that Rose needed to get back to her room before curfew. "Come on Roza, you need to get back to your room." She just nodded her head and began to walk. I followed her. We reached her room with a couple of minutes before curfew.

Gazing into my eyes, Rose asked, "Will you stay with me tonight?" I was lost for words. I was about to say no when she cut me off. "Please, Dimitri. I just need someone with me..." New tears began to well in her chocolate eyes.

I nodded and followed her into her room. "Um, I'll just go take a shower and get changed." She muttered, blushing.

"Sure," Was my reply. Rose went into the bathroom, pjs in hand. I heard the water of the shower being turned on. I tuned it all out. I thought that listening was an invasion of privacy. Instead, I looked around her room. I enjoyed looking at the photos. My favourite one was of Rose and Lissa, they looked about six maybe seven. Rose wore a mischievous smile while Lissa's smile was sweet and angelic.

Rose came out of the bathroom wearing shorts and a t-shirt that said "I kick ass." I smiled at it. Cute. "Hi." she murmured.

"Feel better?" I asked her. She nodded.

Rose walked over to me and took my hand in hers and took a deep breath. "You don't have to sit there all night, Comrade." She said, ducking her head and blushing deeply. My eyes widened as I realised what she wanted. _Oh, what the hell. She would be eighteen soon anyway._ I thought. I kicked off my shoes and took my shirt off, leaving me in a pair of black sweats. I felt Rose's eyes on me, but I refused to meet her gaze.

I slid into bed with Rose, and she snuggled up to me. I wrapped my arms around her. "Rose... we really shouldn't be doing this." I stated.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care. I love you and I don't care about what other people think." _Oh my gosh! _She just said she loved me out loud! My heart rate picked up a little and I pulled her closer to me, crushing her body against my chest.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that Roza." I whispered, my voice husky. "I love you too, my beautiful Roza." She raised her head. We were only inches apart and I could feel her quick breath wash across my face. I closed the distance between us and crushed my lips to hers.

"Dimitri... I want you."

**Oooh, bit of a cliffie. Hahaha. **

**What will happen next? **

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	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is just the last part of chapter 5 from Rose's POV. I thought it needed it...**

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**C**HAPTER 6.

_Rose's POV._

"Come on Roza, you need to get back to your room." Dimitri murmured quietly in my ear. I just nodded, unable to talk properly. I walked back to my room with Dimitri at my side. I didn't want to be alone tonight, I needed someone to stay with me. I needed Dimitri to stay. When we got to my room, I opened the door and walked in, Dimitri just behind me. I turned to him and took a deep breath. "Will you stay with me tonight?" I saw the shock cross his face, but I could also see something else. Desire? I wasn't sure. He was about to say something but I cut across him. "Please Dimitri," I begged. "I just need someone with me..." My eyes welled with tears again. I hated crying in front of Dimitri.

He hesitated, but then nodded. "Um, I'll just go take a shower and get changed." I blushed. Dammit! Dimitri was the only person who could make me blush!

"Sure." He muttered.

I went into the bathroom with my pjs in my hand. I was hyper aware that Dimitri was just on the other side of the bathroom door. I tried to make as little noise as I could.

After a hot shower, I changed into my pjs. I wore shorts my favourite t-shirt that said: "I kick ass." It was a gift from Adrian. After I brushed my teeth I went back into my room. Dimitri was sitting on my desk chair. I walked over to him. I watched as he appraised my clothes, and the slight smile that drifted across his face as he looked at my shirt.

"Hi." I murmured.

"Feel better?" He asked me. I nodded in response.

I took his hand in mine and drew in a deep breath. "You don't have to sit there all night, Comrade." I said quietly. I ducked my head as I felt the blood pool in my cheeks. I looked back up as he kicked his shoes off and then pulled off his shirt. _Holy shit!_ Dimitri had the body of a god! Perfectly toned abs and hard pecks. I took in his perfect body.

He slid into the bed after me and I snuggled in closer to him, his arms snaked around me. "Rose... we really shouldn't be doing this."

I just shrugged my shoulders. "I don't care. I love you and I don't care about what other people think." The "L" word slipped naturally off my tongue, I felt like I had been saying to Dimitri for years. His arms crushed me to his hard chest then.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that Roza." His voice was husky and his eyes full of love and lust. "I love you too, my beautiful Roza." I raised my head, my hear skipping a beat. Our lips were just inches apart and I longed to kiss him. He closed the gap and crushed his lips to mine.

"Dimitri... I want you."

He went rigid when I said that. I felt a moment of panic, but then he pulled me closer, rolling us so he hovered over me, but I felt none of his weight. He pressed his lips to mine again, and his tongue traced my bottom lip. Our kisses became frantic and needing. I was scared shitless, but I was also excited. I loved Dimitri and I knew he loved me. I pressed closer to his body and his lips moved to my throat, leaving a trail of sensual kisses.

"Roza, I love you so much." Dimitri murmured huskily against the skin of my throat. He pulled back then. "Rose, we can't do this... not now." The words of rejection washed over me. Tears sprang to my eyes.

"Roza... I'm not saying no, I'm just saying not now. Not here. And, not while you are still mourning Mason's death." Dimitri rushed to make me feel better. He wiped the traitor tears from my cheeks with soft kisses.

"But, I _need _you." I whispered, knowing it was no good. Sometimes, Dimitri was just as stubborn as I was.

"Soon, Roza," He said quietly as he pulled me to his chest. "But for now, you need to sleep and get some rest."

"I love you Dimitri." I said, as my eyelids grew heavy.

"I love you too Roza." I heard him say, just before sleep claimed my exhausted body and mind.

**What did you think? I know it was short. Sorry. Chapter 7 will be up soon. **

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	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, three updates in three days! Hahah, you should feel privileged (: **

**Thankyouuu all SO much for the reviews I received :) it makes me feel very happy.**

**Some of you requested longer chapters, and I hope this one lives up to your standards. I'm sorry that most chapters aren't very long, but my mum says school comes first, and writing second. Also, this is my first real fanfic, so please, bear with me, and hopefully, in future, I will write better and longer stories/chapters :) anyways, enough with my excuses. You just want to read the story.**

**Disclaimer: does not, unfortunately own the spectacular series, although she really wishes she did. Everything belongs to the fabulous Richelle Mead, except the plot. That's belongs to :) **

**ON WITH CHAPTER 7! READ, REVIEW AAAANNNNND ENJOY! **

CHAPTER 7.

_Dimitri's POV._

I woke early the next morning, Rose wrapped in my arms her face pressed lightly to my bare chest. I looked at the alarm clock on Rose's bed side table. 8:00pm. Morning for us nocturnal vampires. _I guess Rose will sleep through training._ I thought. _Oh well, she needed a good sleep. _I still couldn't believe that I _almost _had sex with Rose. She always ruined my self-control, making it hard for me to think clearly when I was around her.

I moved a little, and Rose stirred. Her arms tightened around my waist and she sighed contentedly before her eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at me. "Hey there Comrade."

"Good morning beautiful." I sighed and pulled her closer pressing my lips gently to her cheek. Her hand travelled up my arm and my neck, to my face. She pulled my face down to her lips and kissed me softly. The kiss was perfect, full of love. I pulled away regretfully. "I have to go Rose. I need to get out of here before the commons are full." I slipped out of bed and pulled my shoes on. I grabbed my shirt, lent down to kiss Rose on the head and slid silently out the door.

I pulled my shirt on over my head just outside Rose's door. I glanced both ways to make sure no one was around and began walking down the stairs.

_Rose's POV_.

After Dimitri left, I got out of bed and went into the bathroom for a shower. I felt like I was walking on air, Dimitri had said he loved me last night! My heart felt elated and light. I remembered the feel of his soft warm lips on mine, my burning skin, it all felt like heaven.

Dimitri had let me sleep through training, so I had a free day now. I spent some time after breakfast just doing homework. Even homework couldn't dampen my good mood. When my math homework was done, I stood up and stretched. Math always made me tired. I _despised _math.

I decided to go see Lissa. I hadn't seen her since yesterday and I was in real need of someone to talk to. I reached out through the bond to Lissa's head, slipping easily into her mind. Woah! Big mistake. She was with Christian in the church attic. And things were getting... hot.

Lissa moved her hands to the back of Christian's head, threading her fingers through his jet black hair, pulling him to her. Her breathing increased as his lips crashed against hers. Christian's hands found the hem of Lissa's top and he tugged it up and over her head. _Okay, I REALLY need to get out of here. _I always had trouble getting out of Lissa's head when she was feeling a particularly strong emotion. And right now that feeling was passion and lust which was completely taking over her mind and body.

Christian pulled his own shirt off and then drew Lissa back to him, kissing her lips with force, then moved down her neck to allow her to breath while Lissa un-buckled Christian's belt. Soon they were both down to their underwear. _Now, I really HAVE to get out of here. I'm going to lose my innocence! _With great effort, I pulled myself out of Lissa's head and back into my own mind. I sighed in relief.

I changed quickly into sweats and a hoodie, and left for the running track. Hopefully exercise would clear my head of all thoughts regarding my best friend and Mr. Sparky. Running, it turned out, _was _helpful in making my mind clear.

I had run about three laps when I heard someone jogging beside me. I looked over to my left. Dimitri grinned back at me. I slowed my pace and then stopped. "Hi," I said, smiling back at him. "What cha doing?" _duh, Rose, like it isn't obvious. _

He looked at me like I was stupid. "I'm running Rose." He said it slowly. I giggled.

"Me too!" I sang back happily. He smiled and punched me lightly on the arm.

"Since when do you run out side of combat class and practise?" Dimitri asked me, honest curiosity burning in his gorgeous brown eyes.

I sighed. Should I tell him? I decided to. I didn't like being dishonest with Dimitri. "Um, well, sometimes when Lissa is feeling a strong emotion, it's hard for me to get out of her head, and... she was with Christian when I checked on her... and I couldn't get out. Running helps me clear my head of... well, you know." Understanding crossed Dimitri's face, and he looked away. _Great, _I thought. _I've probably just made things awkward._ He seemed to shake it off.

Dimitri turned back to face me. "Well, since you are already out here, and you missed your morning training, why don't we go on with your usual session?"

"Oh, sure," I replied. Any excuse to spend more time with my Russian God. "Sounds good." I added enthusiastically.

He just smiled and led me back to the gym. As we walked he said, "We'll just do some combat. One on one. That okay?"

"Yup." My lips _popped _on the "p".

Combat training was always fun, but it was even more fun when I got to train with Dimitri. He made everything look effortless and despite his height, he still managed to make it look graceful.

After an hour long session, Dimitri and I collapsed on the floor, both of us out of breath from the strenuous exercise. "Good, Rose, that was really good." I felt elated. Dimitri didn't often hand out compliments, so when I did receive one from him, I knew I deserved it.

"You weren't too bad yourself, Comrade." I joked back. Dimitri was like a god when he fought, and I loved watching him.

"Go get changed, then you're coming with me." I looked at my Russian God curiously. I was about to ask him where he was taking me, but instead he cut me off, shoving me gently toward the locker room. I hurried into the girl's locker room and quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes. Black skinny jeans and a rose coloured top that Lissa gave me for my birthday last year.

I walked out of the locker rooms and back into the gym, knocking into Dimitri as he walked past the door. "Oops," I muttered. "Sorry Comrade." I noticed what he was wearing. He also wore skinny jeans, but in dark navy. His torso was clad in a black v-neck tee, perfectly out-lining his sculptured chest. He looked... Hot. There was no other word for it.

"So, where are you taking me, Comrade?" I asked him, tearing my eyes away from his body. I was burning with curiosity.

A big grin spread across his face. He rarely smiled like that, and my heart soared seeing him so happy. "My sister is coming from Siberia. They are on holidays and she decided to spend them here." He seemed giddy at the thought of seeing his sister. "We have to go get her from the airport and I asked Kirova if you could come too. She was nice enough to allow you to come with me." He concluded.

"I can't wait to meet your sister," I smiled. "Younger or older?" I asked him.

"Younger," He replied as I followed him out of the gym. "Her name is Viktoria, she is about a year younger than you."

I nodded. Sixteen, a fairly big age difference between Viktoria and her brother. "What time does her plane land?" I asked him. The airport was about a three hour drive from the academy, sometimes more, depending on traffic. I couldn't wait to spend the time alone with Dimitri in the car!

"Her plan lands at eleven." Groan. That means that we won't be back until the middle of the vampire night. But, on the bright side, anything to spend time with Dimitri. And I honestly wanted to meet his sister. If she was anything like Dimitri, I was sure we were going to get along.

I slid into the passenger seat of the car, beside Dimitri. We sat in silence for a while, Dimitri and I never needed to fill the silence with needles chatter. We were comfortable with it.

I was getting hungry about an hour into the drive. "Dimitri," He looked over at me and I gave him a sweet smile. "Can we _please _stop and get food?" Dimitri glanced at the clock on the dash.

He sighed. "I guess we have time for a quick dinner." He relented.

"Yay!" He chuckled lightly.

We stopped at a small diner on the highway. A pretty girl a little older than me came over to our table. She angled her body so her back was to me and gave Dimitri a full on smile. He seemed not to notice.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked Dimitri. To her, I didn't exist. Dimitri made a gesture in my direction, indicating that she should ask me first. She sighed audibly, not bothering to hide her frustration, and turned to face me reluctantly. "Anything I can get you?" I noticed that her eyes kept flickering toward Dimitri. I didn't care though. Dimitri wasn't into blonde bimbos. I immediately ordered fries, a burger and a coke. The waitress gave me a slightly disgusted look. Mmm, whatever. I'll eat whatever I feel like. And it's not like I don't burn it off in training. She turned back to Dimitri. "What can I get you? She drawled with a southern accent. Dimitri ordered a sandwich and water. Ew, healthy food. _Shudder._

When our food arrived, Dimitri eyed the massive pile of fries. I started to devour them. Dimitri chucked. "What?" I asked. "I'm hungry!"

"I can see that." He fought that smile that played around the corner of his soft lips. I found myself staring at his lips. He obviously noticed it, and he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. I shook my head and cast my eyes back down to my food.

We finished eating in silence. The waitress kept glancing over at us - at Dimitri- and it was starting to get to me. "Ready to leave?" I asked Dimitri.

"Yeah, sure." He waved the waitress over. "We're ready for the check." She smiled and dew out a piece of paper.

"Here you go, sir." I saw her slip a smaller piece of paper in front of Dimitri along with the check. He didn't even glance at it.

I slid some money across the table to Dimitri, he glared at me. "No, Roza," he said, using my Russian nickname. "I'm paying." Who was I to argue about money with the Russian god? He handed the money and the bill back to the waitress, and we stood and left.

"I swear to god, that blonde bimbo kept starting at you." I ranted. I knew I sounded childish, but honestly, I didn't care right then.

Dimitri started at me. "Come on Comrade, are you telling me you didn't notice?" I asked. He sighed.

"No, Roza, I noticed, I just didn't acknowledge it." He got in the car and started the engine. "Get in the car, Rose." He told me. I didn't realise I had frozen. My eyes hurt and my head felt a little heavy all of a sudden. Dimitri frowned and got back out of the car. "Are you okay Roza?" He asked me, concern clear on his face and in his eyes. I nodded.

"I'm just tired." I told him. He eyed me for a second, but then seemed to accept this explanation and helped me into the passenger seat.

We pulled into the airport car park two and a half hours later. I stumbled out of the car and walked with Dimitri inside. He checked the screens that told us which gate Viktoria's plane would be landing at. Gate 6. We headed in that direction. We stopped at the security check, and then proceeded to the gate.

By now, I was extremely tired, but Dimitri was excited, as he should be. He would be seeing his little sister for the first time in so long, and I knew that he couldn't wait.

As we came up to a small cafe, Dimitri glanced over at me, and seeing that I was tired, stopped to get me a coffee. Caramel latte, my favourite, with an extra caffeine hit. Just what I needed. He handed it to me. "Thank you." I said.

We waited in the lounge area for Viktoria's plane to land.

About half an hour later, we heard someone yell out, "Dimka!" We turned and saw a girl about sixteen, with brown hair, streaked with gold and the same eyes as Dimitri, come running into Dimitri's arms.

Behind Viktoria a small boy rushed up. "Uncle Dimka!" He exclaimed. Okay, I didn't know who this kid was, but he looked like Dimitri and he seemed to be Dimitri's nephew. Dimitri swept him up into a hug and smiled at the little boy. "Hello Paul, I didn't know you were coming." Paul giggled softly, "Surprise!" He yelled. I laughed too.

Viktoria turned to me then glanced back over to her brother. "And, who is this?" she asked smiling at me.

"Viktoria, this is my student, Rose Hathaway, Rose, Viktoria." He made quick intros for us. He gestured to the boy who was still in his arms. "And this is my nephew, Paul. Paul, this is Rose." Paul smiled a really cute smile and waved at me. I waved back. "Hi Paul, it's nice to meet you. And it's nice to meet you too, Viktoria." I added warmly.

Viktoria threw her arms around me. "It's really great to meet you too Rose. Dimitri has told me a lot about you. I feel as if I already know you."

I laughed lightly. "All good I hope, Comrade."

"Ha ha, yes of course I only told her the good things, Roza." He called me by my Russian nickname.

Dimitri set a still grinning Paul on his feet and took his small hand in his much larger one. "Let's go get your luggage and get back to the academy." Dimitri said. He walked ahead with Paul who began chatting to his uncle in rapid Russian. I held back and walked with Viktoria.

"So... you and Dimka seem close," Viktoria grinned at me suggestively. "Don't worry, Rose, I know everything. Dimka and I are close and we trust each other with secrets." She gave me a sidelong sglance. "How do you feel about Dimka? Because I know that he loves you very much." A thick Russian accent laced her words, it was much more pronounced than her brother's, who had picked up a slight American accent.

"I love Dimitri more than anything," I told her honestly. "He is very important to me and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to him."

Viktoria smiled. We had reached the luggage collection area and Paul and Viktoria hurried forward to grab their bags. Little Paul couldn't manage his large suitcase, so his uncle stepped forward to help the struggling boy. "Here Paul," Dimitri said kindly. "I'll take it for you." Paul released his hold, allowing Dimitri to pick it up easily. The muscles straining in his arms distracted me for a moment. He was so _ripped._ I yanked my gaze away from Dimitri.

As we walked to the car, Paul dropped back to walk with me. "Hi Rose." He said shyly.

"Hello Paul." I returned the greeting. I saw him glance at the back of my neck and he gasped loudly.

"You have _Molnija _marks?" He exclaimed in awe. "And, you're not even eighteen yet. Paul seemed fascinated by the tiny tattoos on my neck. _Molnija_ marks were given to guardians when the killed Strigoi. I had been branded with two marks, representing my successful killings of Elena and Isaiah in Spokane, where Mason had been murdered by Isaiah. I pushed the memory from my mind, and focussed back on Paul.

"Are you going to become a guardian, Paul?" I asked. I looked him up and down, he already had the right build for a guardian, slim, yet muscular and he was tall for his age. It seemed he got his height from Dimitri.

Paul nodded excitedly. "Yup, I want to be just like uncle Dimka." Dimitri looked back at us as we slid into the car, a fond look on his face.

"I don't know that you want to be like me, Paul," He looked at me with a smile, then turned back to Paul. "You may want to talk to Rose. She is going to be a fantastic guardian when she graduates. And, as you already know, she has killed two strigoi."

I blushed. "I'm not as good as you Dimitri. You have killed _six _strigoi." I could see his shoulders shake as he laughed silently.

"I've never seen you act all modest. Where did my Rose Hathaway go?" He laughed at his joke. I stuck my tongue out at him like a child. It just made him laugh harder.

Viktoria turned to her brother. "Dimka, I have never seen you this happy!" Dimitri just smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders.

_Viktoria's POV._

I loved seeing this happy and vibrant side of my brother. I loved him so much and I knew him well, but I had _never _seen him this happy. Rose was his world, I could see that.

I glanced in the revision mirror and saw Rose leaning up against the door, Paul curled up at her side, she had one arm resting on Paul's shoulder. They were both fast asleep.

**Like? Dislike? **

**Do you like the idea of me bringing in Viktoria and Paul? I thought the story needed some of Dimitri's family in it, because in the books, we don't get to know them very well, and we never read about Dimitri **_**actually **_**being with any of his family although we know that family is very important to him. **

**Tell me what you think. And, I want to know what you **_**really **_**think. Criticism welcomed. **

**REVIEWS PLEASE! Reviews are those special little things that bring happiness and love into my life :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up, I have been sick and at the doctors all the time :( but, here is chapter eight. Review please! Happiness is the best medicine when you're sick, and reviews always make me happy! **

**Disclaimer:**

**: anyone want to do the disclaimer? Dimitri, perhaps you would like to?**

**Dimitri: Awww, do I have to? **

**B.B: Yes, you do. Do it, do it, do it.**

**D: Fine! does not own Vampire Academy nor it's fantastic characters, like me. All credit goes to Richelle Mead, except the plot, that belongs to . *turns to B.B* Are you happy now? I did what you wanted.**

**B.B: Extremely:)**

CHAPTER 8

_Dimitri's POV_

When we arrived back at St Vladimir's Academy, it was the middle of the vampire night, day for humans.

Roza and Paul were still asleep in the back seat. They both looked completely adorable curled up together like small children. Viktoria and I got out of the car and walked to the back door of the car. When I opened the door, Roza stirred and mumbled something incoherently, but did not wake up, and neither did Paul who also continued to sleep soundly. I smiled at the sight, and bent to lift Rose into my arms. Viktoria did the same with Paul.

I turned to Viktoria. "I'll take you and Paul to your room, and then I'll take Roza to her dorm." I said to my sister, who smirked at me. "One of the guardians will bring your bags up to your room." I led Viktoria to the room that she would be sharing with Paul. It was next to mine.

Before I left the room, I planted a kiss on Viktoria's cheek and Paul's head. "I'm so glad you're here, Vik," I told my sister. "I have missed you all _so_ much."

She smiled and touched my cheek with her fingers. "I have missed you too, Dimka. Mamma misses you like crazy too. She said to say hi to you and tell you that she loves you. Same goes for everyone else."

Thinking of my mother made my heart ache, I missed her so much. We had always been close, especially when my father was abusive toward her. I was always there for her, and now being away from her for so long in another country, it was hard for me, not being there to help her when she needed it. I knew that my sister s would always be there for my mother, but I hated the fact that I was not there. Although I loved it here in America, with Rose, I missed my country.

I left Viktoria getting Paul into bed and, with Rose still sleeping in my arms, I walked to her room. I had to find her key in her pocket because she had locked her door. When I finally got her in her room and laid her down on her bed, her eyes opened with a start and she gasped a little.

"Dimitri... it _hurts _again." She whimpered into my chest as I pulled her to me. Her head again. Dammit, what was making this happen! I was pretty sure that this was beginning to hurt me almost as much as it was hurting my Roza, seeing her in pain all the time.

"It's going to be fine, Roza," I murmured into her hair, keeping my voice from breaking. "We _will _find out what is causing this. I promise Roza." I made that promise, and I intended to keep it. I would start looking for signs that could be triggering the migraines, and I would keep tabs on Rose.

Tears of pain and suffering cascaded down her beautiful face, making my heart break into a million pieces.

She pulled me down onto her bed next to her and she curled up against me chest. I rocked her back and forth, whispering soothing words in her ear. It took time, but she eventually slipped into an exhausted sleep.

I slid off the bed and found a blanket at the end of Rose's bed. I pulled it up over her body. I sighed and walked over to the window, sitting down on the upholstered window seat. The school grounds were still blanketed in darkness, but with my dhampir eyes, I could make out more than any human could. I saw something move on the edge of the forest that surrounded the school grounds. I peered closer, it looked like a person, but I couldn't be sure. Maybe it was just a guardian on duty. Something stirred in my memory as I recalled the last time I had seen something like this. It had been when Rose was running during training and I had noticed a figure move extremely fast. A shiver ran down my spine, but I shook it off. I stood and walked over to where Rose was sleeping on her bed. I kissed her cheek before leaving her.

When I got back to my room, Viktoria was waiting at my door. "Is everything okay?" I asked her.

She nodded and smiled. "Yep, I just wanted to talk. I'm not tired, and I just thought we could catch up or something?" It sounded like a question, like she suddenly wasn't sure.

"Of course, Vik." I reassured her. A big smile spread across her face. We entered my room and Viktoria sat down on my bed.

"Did you get Rose to bed okay?" She asked me.

"Mmmm... yes, she has a headache though." I felt the worry settle over me again, a slight panic.

"Oh, really? What happened?" Viktoria asked me. I didn't really want to talk about it, but she was my sister, and despite our age difference, we had always been close and I had never kept a secret from her before.

"Um, she has been getting really bad headaches lately, like migraines, and we don't know why." I sounded desperate toward the end and Viktoria noticed. She slid off the bed and came over to me, sliding her arms around my waist.

"It is okay, Dimka," She said quietly. "Rose seems like a strong person, she will be fine." I hoped that what she said was true. Rose _was _strong, but I didn't know how long she was going to last with these constant debilitating migraines haunting her every day. _Would _she be fine? I didn't know, but I was going to try my hardest to make sure that she was.

I sighed and lay down on my bed, Viktoria kissed my cheek and whispered "goodnight Dimka" in Russian, then slipped out the door, closing it quietly.

Sleep wouldn't come, so I got out of bed and took a shower. The hot water calmed me down, but didn't make me tired. I got out of the shower and dressed in black satin boxers. I lay down in bed with my favourite western novel, my eyes grew heavy and the darkness of sleep eventually took over my mind and body, pulling me into its depths.

Hours later, although it only felt like minutes, I suddenly jerked awake, a light sheen of sweat coating my body. In my sleep I had seen the figure in the forest of the grounds again, but I couldn't see the face. The figure was dressed all in black and blended in well with the darkness covering the forest trees.

I wasn't sure what had scared me, because nothing had happened in the dream, besides seeing the back of a person. But, as I sat there in bed, my heart continued to pound rapidly against my ribs, and I felt shaky. Something in my subconscious mind, told me to go and see Rose. I slid out of bed and pulled on sweat pants and a t-shirt along with black canvas slip on shoes.

As I walked to Rose's room, I attempted to slow my racing heart rate. This was done in vain. Something had scared me, but I didn't know what or why.

I reached Rose's room and knocked softly on her door. She would still be asleep, but I had to see her. "Roza," I half whispered. "It's me."

I heard her grumble and she opened the door.

_Rose's POV_

I fell asleep in Dimitri's arms, exhausted and defeated. Would these migraines ever _stop?_ I wasn't sure.

_Knock, knock, knock._

I sat up in bed and looked around disorientated. It was still night time! I hated being woken up.

Dimitri's voice sounded through the door of my room. "Roza," Came a soft whisper. "It's me." _No freaking duh_. I would recognise Dimitri's voice absolutely _anywhere_. I frowned. What would Dimitri be doing at my door in the middle of the night? I grumbled audibly, not bothering to hide it and opened the door, still in my pyjamas.

My six foot something Russian god stood there, a look of worry on his face. "What's wrong Dimitri?" I asked, all thoughts of sleep and annoyance fleeing my mind when I saw his expression.

"Roza... I had to make sure you were okay, and I couldn't sleep." He pulled me into his arms and crushed me gently to his body.

"I'm fine Dimitri." I mumbled with my head buried in his chest. I ran my hand down the back of his neck and felt a cold layer of sweat there. I pulled back slightly to look him in the face. "Are you sure you are okay?" I asked him

He just nodded and pulled me back to my bed, kicking his shoes off. I pulled his lips to mine and kissed him gently. But that didn't seem to be enough for him. He pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip. Something told me there was something wrong, Dimitri wasn't usually like this. Reluctantly, I pulled away and put my hand on his shirt clad chest, stopping him from pulling me back to him.

"Dimitri, stop," I said forcefully. "What is wrong? And don't tell me it's nothing, because I know that's a load of bullshit." He stared at me with a surprised look on his god damn sexy face.

He sighed in defeat. "I...uh, I had a weird dream, and for some reason it really freaked me out. I needed to calm down, and I wanted to see you." He rushed through his words, ducking his head like he was ashamed. I had never seen Dimitri scared before, and I wondered what had happened to make him so frightened. He looked like a scared little boy and I hated seeing him like this. I had always assumed Dimitri was invincible and wasn't scared of anything.

I lightly caressed his face and his rigid body began to relax a little at my touch. "Shhhh, everything will be okay." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" I continued to stroke his cheek.

"I would tell you what the problem is, but the thing is; I don't really know _what_ happened. All I know is that it scared me." His voice shook and I pulled him back to me, rubbing his back in soothing circles as I whispered sweet nothings in his ear. The situations had been reversed. Usually it was _me_ who was in tears and scared, with Dimitri holding me, but now, he was the emotional wreck and I was the comforter.

As I looked into his face, he slipped into sleep. I kissed his head then snuggled down under the covers, curling up against him. Hopefully, he would be fine in the morning.

I woke the next morning to find Dimitri still asleep, his lips parted slightly. He looked so peaceful and... _cute_. A lock of his shoulder length brown hair fell over his eyes and he twitched slightly as it tickled him. I giggled softly. Reaching out, I gently brushed the hair away from his face.

Over the next couple of days, I had a few more migraines, but I had learnt to block them out as best as I could. They seemed to re-occur every couple of days, and only for a short period of time. No one I told had any explanation as to why this was happening. But, graduation was coming up in a couple of months and I had to work hard if I wanted to be at the graduation ceremony with all the other seniors. Also, posters went up around the academy announcing the dance for the seniors in two weeks time. That meant shopping for Lissa and me!

One morning I woke to panic around the academy. A Moroi had gone missing. A _royal _Moroi none other than Jesse Zeklos. His room had been found messed up with furniture tipped over and glass broken. On the wall someone had written, "Shame, there goes another royal" and "Poor Mr. Zeklos, never shall you see him again". Whoever had done this was sick and twisted.

A number of guardians – including Dimitri – were dispatched at once to search the grounds and the academy's surrounding land for clues as to Jesse's whereabouts. His room was also searched for clues. No one found anything that might lead them to finding Jesse.

There really was no evidence as to who took Jesse, other than the clear fact that he had been taken by force and he had obviously tried – unsuccessfully, I might add - to put up a fight.

People began to think it was Strigoi who had taken Jesse, but that was impossible, the school had very powerful wards protecting the school itself and its students and staff. The one question remained; how had this happened and who had taken Jesse Zeklos?

**What did you think? Anyone have any ideas as to what happened to Jesse? HAHAH. I know!**

**If you have any suggestions for what you would like to happen in this story, Review and tell me, and I will seriously consider all sensible ideas that are put-forth them! **

**xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am sooooooo sorry that it has taken this long to get chapter nine up! I have been so busy with school, and updates will be further apart than they used to be. But, I start holidays in less than two weeks, and hopefully I will be updating much quicker. **

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns all, except main plot. **

**Now, on with chapter 9, and don't forget, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

**. **

CHAPTER NINE

_Rose's POV._

I was in training one morning with Dimitri. We were sparring, but I was failing horribly. Dimitri kept defeating me, and he was getting frustrated with my lack of focus. "Focus Rose, focus." He attempted to encourage me, but the frustration was crystal clear in his voice. I tried to clear my head and think properly, but every time I tried to think clearly, my thoughts eluded me like mice running from a hungry cat.

After Dimitri had pinned me to the ground for the millionth time, he sat back on his heels and stared at me. "Rose, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" He asked, a small smile tugging at his lips, although his face remained slightly worried.

I sighed. "I just keep wondering what happened to Jesse," I told him. "I know, I know," I said when I saw that he was about to protest. I had had a few bad incidents with Jesse Zeklos, and had been subject to his lies a number of times, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off here. "I would usually be the last person to be worrying about Jesse Zeklos, but what happened to him? No one knows, and it's suspicious. I mean, people are saying that it was the work of Strigoi, and I suppose it _could _be plausible, but the school has very strong and powerful wards surrounding the grounds. There is no way Strigoi could get on campus. Therefore, no way a Strigoi could have broken in and taken Jesse from his room. And, why Jesse? There are plenty of other Moroi, like Lissa would have been the most likely target of a strigoi since she is the last Dragomir, but no, they take Jesse." I shuddered at the thought of someone taking Lissa, especially a strigoi. I took a deep, calming breath, and stared into Dimitri's beautiful eyes awaiting the answers to all my questions. I knew I sounded like a small child begging for someone to tell them that everything was going to be okay, but right then; I honestly didn't care what I sounded like. I just wanted answers.

"Rose, I don't know why someone would take Jesse, and you're right, the school _does _have protective barriers around the grounds. It has all of us baffled. As soon as we realised that Jesse was gone, Kirova went down to check the wards. She told us that they were all still in place and stable. So, we don't think it was strigoi either, because there is no way they could take down wards and put them back up again, but, we can't rule out the possibility that, once again, the strigoi are working with humans... especially not after the Badica attack." He touched my face lightly. "You shouldn't worry about Jesse; you have more important things to worry about. Like graduation, and the dance. It's your last chance to have fun with your friends before you graduate and become a guardian. For now love, leave all the worrying to the guardians." He smiled and hugged me tightly. I breathed in the scent of his aftershave. Just the smell of him relaxed me. God, I loved him so much.

Dimitri tilted my head back and pressed his lips softly to mine, parting his lips slightly, it was sweet and full of love. He pulled away too soon and stood up, pulling me with him. "You need to get to class, Roza." He looked regretful, like he wanted to stay exactly where we were and never let me go. I felt _exactly _the same.

I snaked my arms around his slender but muscular torso, and hugged him tightly, and then left the gym and hurried to breakfast. I stood in the line and loaded my plate up with bagels and bacon. Yum. I searched the room for someone to sit with. I spotted Lissa, Christian and Adrian sitting at a table at the other end of the commons. I started towards them and slid in next to Lissa.

"Hey little dhampir." Adrian looked at me and smiled, then leaned over the table and kissed me on the head. I glared at him.

"Drunk already Ivashkov?" I asked him with a mock glare. Of course he was drunk. Adrian Ivashkov was _always _drunk. But, I liked Adrian; he was a nice guy despite being kinda perverted and totally in love with me.

"Ha, someone's gotta drink your share, Hathaway. When was the last time you let loose and had a drink?" He did _not _just say that!

"You know perfectly well why I don't drink anymore, Adrian. It blocks off my access to Lissa and I can't run the risk of not being able to find her if something went wrong." Lissa looked at me. I could feel hurt and regret coming through the bond. I turned to her.

"Lissa, it's not your fault, so don't feel guilty. And, besides, I don't need to drink anyway." That was true, I didn't need to drink. I had given up my partying days when we returned to the Academy. I gave her a reassuring smile and she sighed in relief. "_Thank you, for making me feel better."_ She said through the bond. I nodded to her, and then turned to Christian.

"So, Sparky," I addressed Christian. I had come up with a whole lot of nicknames for Christian all to do with fire, because as a Moroi, he specialises in controlling fire. "Long time no see. Miss me?" I grinned innocently at him. Christian and I never really got along well, but after the strigoi incident in Spokane, we had been able to tolerate each other much better and had even become friends. Well, sort of.

"Yeah sure, I missed you like crazy Rose. I didn't think I would last one more day without you." He replied sarcastically.

We finished eating breakfast in silence, and then I went with Lissa to see the feeders. She put her name on the list, and we stood and waited for her name to be called. Finally, the Moroi working at the desk called; "Vasilisa Dragomir, you have Alice, Princess." We moved forward to the older woman and Lissa sat down beside Alice.

"Princess, it's nice to see you again, dear." Alice said dreamily. Feeders were technically drug addicts. They constantly craved the bite of a Moroi because the feelings that were released in the bite felt like ecstasy. I knew this because I had fed Lissa when we ran away.

"It's great to see you too, Alice." Lissa told the elderly woman, polite as ever, like the perfect royal she was.

Alice turned to me. "And, Rose Hathaway too! Such a pleasure Rose." I smiled in return.

Lissa leant forward and bit into Alice's bruised and scarred neck. Alice tilted her head to the side to give Lissa better access. She moaned as Lissa drank from her. After a few minutes, Lissa pulled away and ran her tongue over her lips.

"Come on Rose, we are going to be late for class." She pulled me toward the door and I followed. We split when we reached the commons. I had theory class with Stan Alto and Lissa was going to meet with Adrian to talk about Spirit.

My classes that day went uneventfully, thank god. I wasn't sure this academy could take much more drama.

My afternoon practise with Dimitri also went without anything major, besides a few stolen kisses, but that didn't matter.

As I made my way back to my room, I ran into Alberta who was looking frantic with worry. "What's wrong, Guardian Petrov?" I asked.

She looked at me like she hadn't heard me. "Oh, Miss Hathaway, another two students have disappeared." Oh, no. Not again!

"Who?" I asked. "Who was taken now?"

Alberta looked like she didn't want to tell me, but she closed her eyes and put her hand on my shoulder. "Eddie Castile and Christian Ozera." I felt my heart drop and my legs wobble like they were going to give way.

Eddie and Christian, no, this could _not_ be happening. Panic swept over me and I distantly heard someone calling my name. I turned slowly and faced Lissa. Tears glistened like diamonds on her puffy red face. Obviously, she already knew about Eddie and Christian. "Rose, we have to find them!" She cried, snapping me out of my panic stricken state of mind. I turned to Alberta who was still standing there, just watching us with blank and distant eyes.

"Guardian Petrov, do something!" I snapped at her. She seemed to come to her senses then.

"Yes, yes of course Rose. I'll send out guardians to search and I'll go and check Mr Ozera's and Mr Castile's rooms." She hurried away just as I heard footsteps come up behind me. I felt his arms wrap around my body and pull me tightly to his body.

"It's okay, Roza. We _will _find them." Dimitri whispered in my ear. I relaxed at his touch, but my heart felt like a brick, heavy and painful. He turned to Lissa.

"Princess," he bowed slightly in Lissa's direction. "You are wanted by Headmistress Kirova." She nodded and headed off in the direction of Kirova's office. I made a snap decision to go with her, and I pulled Dimitri along with me.

When we reached Kirova's office, Lissa knocked and entered upon being told to. Kirova looked up from a stack of paperwork and placed her pen down on her desk. "Miss Hathaway, you were not told to be here. Please leave." Her voice was crisp and full of authority. But, there was no freaking way I was going to let this self-righteous bitch tell me, Rose Hathaway, what to do.

"That's okay, Hedmistress, I'd rather wait in here with Lissa." I gave her a sweet smile and I could see her going slightly red in the face from anger. Well, good. I didn't care. Lissa needed me now more than ever, and to be honest, I needed her too.

Kirova started to protest once again, but Dimitri cut her off. "If you don't mind Hedmistress Kirova, Rose should stay here with the Princess. This is hard on both of them and they need each other." I shot him a grateful look. And my hot Russian god comes through for me again. I was so lucky to have someone like Dimitri Belikov on my side.

"Oh, very well, I don't care," Kirova relented, although she still looked extremely pissed off. Dimitri wore a smug look, reflecting my own. The Moroi bitch turned to Lissa. "Princess, when was the last time you saw Christian?"

"Oh um, just after classes ended. He said he was going back to his room to do homework. I never saw him after that." I could see she was on the verge of a breakdown, and I moved forward to put my arm around her slender shoulders. It was hard for me too, not knowing what had happened to Eddie, one of my best friends, but I couldn't fathom something like this happening to Dimitri. My heart ached at just the mere thought of anything harming Dimitri.

Through the bond that connected me to Lissa's mind, I could feel a mixture of emotions; hurt, anxiety, panic, worry, and anger at the guardians for not doing anything quick enough. But, most of all, I could feel that she was scared for Christian, the one she loved. There was also a great amount of worry for Eddie, but most of her energy was focused on her boyfriend and getting him back safely into her arms, where he belonged.

"Yes, okay, well, you may go Miss Dragomir." Kirova seemed distracted, like she didn't really care about the fact that she currently had three missing students, two of them were Royal Moroi. I shook my head, looking at Dimitri whose face remained impassive.

"Headmistress," Lissa began in a polite and calm tone. I could hear the pain and anxiety lacing her words, though. "How will you be proceeding with getting Christian, Eddie and Jesse back?"

"I'm not sure yet Princess. It's really a job for the guardians as they are the ones who will be conducting the find and rescue mission." Kirova replied indifferently. Her tone suggested that it was time for us to leave, so I stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of Lissa's designer sweater, tugging her back toward the door.

"Let's go, Liss." I pulled her gently through the door, Dimitri followed closely behind us. Through the bond I could feel strong emotions emitting through to me. She felt overwhelming despair and crippling grief, she didn't think she would ever see Christian alive again.

"I'll see you later, I have homework to do." She muttered, before departing, leaving me standing in the quad with Dimitri. She didn't even give me a chance to help her.

I felt the hot tears well up in my eyes, and my chest constricted, I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. Dimitri turned to me, and after glancing around to be sure there was no one close by, he pulled me into the tight circle of his strong arms. I sobbed a little into his chest. Thinking about Eddie, I couldn't lose him too, not after losing Mason. As for Christian, we had never been best friends, but I didn't want anything to happen to him. I knew Lissa would never be able to move on if Christian died.

Dimitri held me in his arms for what felt like hours, then he slowly led me back to my room, supporting my suddenly dead weight body. He left my room with a quick kiss on my head, telling me that he had to go and see Alberta. I nodded and moved over to my closet. I would shower and sleep. I felt exhausted, but once I was in bed, I found I couldn't sleep. I took some strong panadol, and then I lay back down in bed, letting the drugs take effect.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Oh, hi there. I am so sorry that it has taken so long for this chapter to be posted, but I have been so busy... am I forgiven? **

**Okay, so in this chapter we have a clifffieeee! Hope you like it...**

**Chapter 11 will probably be up tomorrow, or maybe Sunday, depends on the time I have.**

**Read and enjoy this chapter ( : **

CHAPTER 10.

_Rose's POV._

The next morning I woke to the sound of knocking on my door. I grumbled at being woken up early, but when I looked at the time on my alarm clock, it told me that I had actually slept in.

I opened my door and found Dimitri standing there, sexy as always. "Good morning, Roza." He greeted me, his Russian accent sounding more pronounced. I watched as he appraised what I was wearing. I looked down and realised that I was only wearing my underwear and a white tank top, practically see through. I felt the blush creep up onto my cheeks. A hungry look flashed across Dimitri's face, but he looked away quickly.

"Good morning." I replied, standing back and allowing him to pass through the door, into my room.

"Rose, the guardians have found some trails they believe belong to a group of Strigoi... there have been sightings of blood on a trail not far from here." He said it without emotion, his guardian mask slipping into place. I knew he was masking his feelings because his eyes still portrayed the truth. I felt my knees go weak, and I shook a little.

"Did they take Eddie, Christian and Jesse?" I asked.

"Yes, we believe so. We are going out into the woods to search further, but we have to wait until the okay to go. We can't afford to go barging out there when there could be Strigoi nearby."

"Oh, okay. I'm going with you when you do go." I told him with a note of finality in my voice. I knew he would try to protest. I was right.

"Rose, I can't allow that. If something happened to you..." he trailed off, and I could see pain twist his features.

"Dimitri, if you were out there risking your life, and I wasn't there to help, I could never forgive myself if you were hurt or... killed." I choked up a little thinking of the world without my beautiful Russian god.

Dimitri shook his head, frustrated. He was warring with giving me what I wanted and keeping me safe. He was indecisive.

He waited in my room while I showered and changed for the day. Lissa, Viktoria and I were going shopping for dresses to wear to the dance which was in less than a week. I couldn't believe that they were still holding the social after the disappearances of three of the students, but they had insisted that it continue because it was a tradition of the school. The seniors last dance at St. Vladimir's Academy.

I met Dimitri outside near the Aston Martin Vantage we were taking. I let my eyes roam over the glossy cherry red paint on the car. It was beautiful as it glistened in the early morning sunlight.

"Wow, pretty car." I pointed out the obvious. The last time I had left campus with Dimitri we had taken a Honda Pilot. Boring. But this car... well, this was just _pretty. _"Can I drive Comrade?" I asked, my eyes alight with hope.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Do you have your permit?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeap, I do. Got it when I turned sixteen."

"Fine, you can drive, but only one way. I want to drive it too." His eyes sparkled with amusement. He was such a guy, wanting to drive the nice sports car.

"Okay, deal. I drive there, you drive back?" I asked. I wanted to drive there because I would be tired when we finished a day of shopping.

"Sounds okay to me." He said, just as Viktoria, Lissa and little Paul joined us. I looked at Lissa, she had dark circles under her eyes that she had tried to cover up with make-up, and she looked depressed. I hoped she wasn't slipping into a depressed state again. She had gone through a sever bout of depression after we had returned to the Academy, and we had later found out that it was the result of Spirit.

As I reached out tentatively through the bond, I could feel depression, but it was not of the same magnitude it had been last time. I felt a little happier. Lissa saw me watching her, and gave me a small smile. _"I'm okay Rose, I promise. I _know _Christian and Eddie will both be okay." _She sounded confident, but I wasn't as sure. Ifthey_ had_ been taken by Strigoi, chances are they would have been killed or awakened by now.

We all piled into the car, and I slid into the driver's seat. Dimitri tossed me the keys. "Now Rose, remember this is a $90,000 car, _do not _crash it." He said it jokingly, but there was an edge of seriousness to his voice.

I shot him an angelic look. "I would never crash this pretty little thing." I told him, running my hand around the steering wheel.

"Yeah Rose," Viktoria started. "Wouldn't want to ruin my brother's handsome face." She joked. Dimitri shot her a mock glare. Lissa giggled.

I started the car, and slowly pressed down on the accelerator. There were two other guardians following us in a black M5, also a very pretty car.

I settled into the leather seat, and relaxed as we passed through the gates and out onto the ice covered Montana roads. This car was a dream to drive, it responded to everything I wanted, and handled with ease. Just the slightest press on the accelerator and it would speed up.

The mall was about a three hour drive, and talk soon stopped, leaving the car in silence. I turned on the radio and tuned it to a station that played good music. I stopped when 30 Seconds to Mars' song; _Closer to the Edge _came on. I loved this song. It was what I liked to call my feel good happy song. I cranked up the volume and began to sing along to it. Dimitri gave me an amused look and to my astonishment, also began to sing the words. Wow, Dimitri Belikov, the Russian God, a 30 Seconds to Mars fan! I would never have guessed this of the man who had a passion for westerns and 80s music. He was a good singer too!

_I don't remember the moment I tried to forget,_

_And I lost myself and is better not said_

_Now I'm closer to the edge._

_It was a thousand to one and a million to two,_

_Time to go down in flames and I'm taking you._

_Closer to the edge_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again_

_NO NO NO NO!_

_(Can you, can you, can you)_

_Can you imagine the time when the truth ran free_

_The birth of a sun the death of a dream_

_Closer to the edge_

_This never ending story_

_It fall with pride and faith_

_We all fall short of glory_

_Lost in myself_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again_

_NO NO NO NO!_

_(NO NO NO NO!) I will never forget_

_(NO NO!) I will never regret_

_(NO NO!) I will live my life_

_(NO NO NO NO!) I will never forget_

_(NO NO!) I will never regret_

_(NO NO!) I will live my life_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again (NO NO)_

_No I'm not saying I'm sorry,_

_One day, maybe we'll meet again (NO NO NO NO!)_

_Closer to the edge_

_Closer to the edge_

_NO NO NO NO!_

_Closer to the edge_

_Closer to the edge_

_NO NO NO NO!_

_Closer to the edge. __**(AN: Sorry, I just HAD to put it in. I am so in love with 30 Seconds to Mars. :P)**_

The song finished and Dimitri looked over to me. "You like 30 Seconds to Mars?" he asked.

"I freaking love them!" I told him in a matter of fact tone. "You?"

He nodded. "Yeap, I went to the concert a few years ago with Viktoria." I looked at him incredulously. Dimitri at a rock concert? No freaking _way! _ I had to see it to believe it.

Over the next couple of hours, we talked very little. Only Lissa and Viktoria talked. Lissa was telling her about being a Spirit user, and what it was like being able to heal. Viktoria listened to the older girl with rapt attention; taking in everything she was being told.

When we arrived at the mall, everyone felt lighter and happier after the events of the last couple of days.

We made our way to the first dress shop, accompanied by Dimitri and the two other guardians whom I didn't know. My excitement rose, the last time we had gone on a shopping trip, I hadn't had any fun because I was guarding and guardians aren't allowed to have any fun when they are on duty.

As we entered the shop, Lissa and Viktoria raced forward to a rack crammed with dresses of all designs and colours. Lissa picked up one and held it out to me. It was a light pink dress, fell to about mid thigh. Normally I wore strapless dresses, but this one had straps, and I liked it. It had a bow flowing from the middle of the breasts.

"Rose, you should try this one on." Lissa told me, looking the dress up and down.

I nodded. "Yeah, I like it. Grab me one." She handed over the dress and I slung it over my arm.

I continued scanning the rows and rows of dresses. I found one for Lissa. It was a practical dress, just the way she liked them. It was a dark navy blue made of silk. It was a balloon dress, ruffled slightly at the bottom. "Liss, do you like this one?" I called to Lissa. She turned and looked at the dress with a thoughtful expression on her pale face. As she examined it, her pale green eyes began to sparkle.

"Yes, I do... a little different for me because it has a lower neckline than what I would normally wear, but it looks very elegant. It's perfect for me." I glowed. I had a good sense of style, but usually Lissa wouldn't let me choose out her outfits because my taste in clothes was a little more provocative than hers. But for once, it seemed that I had chosen something she really liked.

We continued around the store. We had to find Viktoria the perfect dress. Normally she wouldn't be allowed to go, being a guest to the school, and not a senior, but the seniors could invite someone of any age to go with them. And, Eddie had invited Viktoria! When I had found out that, I had seriously jumped up and down with joy. On the other hand, when Dimitri had found out... well, let's just say, he didn't like the idea of his little sister dating someone older than her but, when I pointed out the seven year age difference between him and me, he had shut up about it, and fumed silently to himself.

I wanted Viktoria's dress to match perfectly with the creamy colour of her skin. I walked around the store, with Lissa constantly packing more and more dresses onto my arm. There was no way that I was going to try them all on! I didn't have an eternity.

"Hey guys," Viktoria's voice sounded from the other side of the large dress store. "How about this one?" She held out a black strapless dress. It was low cut and tight around the bodice, the flared out falling to about half way between the top of her thigh and knee. It was something that I would wear, only I would have it a little tighter. But, I liked it, and I thought it would look great on Viktoria.

"It's perfect, Vik." I told her with a smile.

Dimitri was standing just behind me, looking at the dress. "I don't know Viktoria..." he said, looking like he thought that the dress was a very bad idea. It was sure to catch Eddie's eye. "Maybe something less revealing and a little longer?" Was he serious! Brothers had no say in what their little sisters wore. Viktoria was almost seventeen, she could look after herself.

"Um, Dimitri... I think it will be fine once she has it on, it will add shape and pull the top up making it less revealing." I comforted him with a quick kiss on the cheek, and a smile when Lissa and Viktoria weren't looking. He gave me an incredulous look. I had never kissed him in public before, where we ran the risk of exposing our illicit student – teacher relationship.

We made our way to the dressing rooms and I slipped on the dress that Lissa first picked out for me. It was tight fitting around my breasts and upper torso then began to flare a little at my hips. It was a beautiful dress and it looked great on me.

"Rose?" Lissa's voice came through the door of my dressing room. "I wanna see the dress. Do you like it? Does it fit?" I sighed and opened the door in my dress. Lissa gasped and I shrank back a little.

"What? Don't you like it?" I asked her. Lissa continued to stare at me.

"It's... _beautiful!"_ She murmured, looking me up and down. I took a closer look at her and realised that she was wearing the dress I chose for her.

"Lissa, _that _dress looks perfect on you. It's really a nice colour with your skin tone." She blushed with appreciation.

"Viktoria? You coming out?" I called, knocking on the door to Viktoria's dressing room.

"Um...?" She sounded nervous. "Is Dimka out there?"

I looked around. "Nope. He's somewhere with Paul I think. Why? Come out! I want to see it." I used my persuading voice.

Slowly, the lock on the door turned and Viktoria poked her head out, glancing around to make sure the room was clear. Then, she cautiously stepped out.

"Wow, Vik... that's one fine dress." I drawled in a southern accent. She giggled.

The black dress was tight, but not too tight. I think the thing that embarrassed Viktoria most was the low cut top. It showed a little cleavage, but not a lot really. I have worn dresses that showed more cleavage than that dress. But the dress suited Viktoria.

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

Viktoria nodded. "Yeah, I do like it. I think I will get this one. Do you guys agree?" she looked a little uncertain, asking us for our opinion.

"Hell yeah, I do! You look hot in that dress. You're gonna have Eddie drooling all over you!" That made her giggle and blood pooled in her cheeks. She turned to Lissa with a questioning look.

"You look gorgeous Vik, you should defiantly get it." Lissa told her in a gentle voice.

"Okay, I will." She suddenly noticed that Lissa and I were wearing our dresses too. Her eyes roamed

up and down our bodies. "Oh wow! You guys look great! You should get those dresses." She told us in a matter of fact tone.

I nodded. "I plan to get this one." It really was a nice dress.

Just then, Dimitri walked over with Paul tagging along behind him, looking bored.

"Hi there stranger." I joked. Dimitri smiled at me.

"I like the dress, Rose..." his voice trailed off as he took in the site before him. I gestured to Viktoria.

"See Comrade, I told you the dress would look fine once she got it on." He chucked lightly.

"You were right. You look beautiful Vik." Awww, now wasn't that cute. I could see how much he really loved his sister.

After that, we all got changed back into our own clothes, and made our way to the checkout to pay for the dresses.

Once everyone had paid for their dresses, we left the shop. "Right everyone," I called. "Shoes now."

Paul groaned. He was getting tired and bored with all the shopping in girls shops. "Hmmm, actually, I could really go for some lunch. How about you Paul?" I asked the little boy. Paul's face lit up in a huge smile and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Lunch!" he yelled.

We all headed to the food court to get lunch. Dimitri and the other guardians fell behind to keep watch as the rest of us moved forward to find a table.

Lunch was uneventful... unless you count Paul's little temper tantrum about not getting the flavour drink he wanted. Poor little guy, he was tired and bored.

After lunch, we went in search of shoes and accessories to go with our dresses. That only took about an hour and a half and we were soon back in the car, this time with Dimitri driving, and heading back to the academy.

No one spoke much during the car ride, just a few comments about outfits, but that was about it for conversation. Everyone was tired, but it was the middle of the day for us nocturnal creatures.

As we neared the gates to St Vladimir's Academy, I was suddenly overcome with a great sense of nausea and a blinding head ache. Something was wrong. The school appeared to be completely calm, but had an eerie silence about it.

Dimitri stopped the as we passed through the gates. There were no guardians at the gate, which was highly unusual; in fact, it was unheard of at this school where the safety of its students was of utmost importance.

I was riding shotgun and, fighting off the blackness that threatened to overcome me, I turned to face Dimitri. "What's wrong? Something isn't right...There are no guardians around the grounds."

Dimitri looked over at me. "I have to go see Alberta, _please Rose _stay in the car and do not get out until I come back for you, unless there is known immediate danger." He stressed the point and I could see the desperation clearly on his features.

I nodded. "I won't go anywhere, I promise." He surprised me then by leaning in and kissing me passionately on the lips. Lissa gasped. I remembered then that I hadn't told her about me and Dimitri. Oops. There was going to be hell to pay now.

Dimitri pulled away all to soon, but before he left, he reached into a compartment of the car and pulled out something glistening silver. A stake. "Rose, I want you to take this and only use it if you have to..." he trailed off.

I was frozen. A sudden and frightening thought had just occurred to me. "S – Strigoi?" I stammered out in fear. Dimitri wore a grim expression.

"I hope not, but just remember everything I have taught you in practise, and protect Lissa..." he turned to his sister. "Stay with Paul, make sure he's safe, and stick to Rose and do everything she tells you."

Then without another word, he slipped out of the car and took off in the direction of the school. I was still fighting the nausea but it was beginning to get hard. I needed a distraction. I turned in my seat to face the three in the back. I opened my mouth to speak when Paul let out an ear piercing scream. Dread settled over me and my heart rate picked up. Everything seemed to go in slow motion.

I turned and my eyes were met with the site I most dreaded. Ghostly pale skin and crimson red eyes.

It was a face I knew well. The face of the self-righteous old bitch herself. Headmistress Kirova. A Strigoi...

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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so I know I haven't updated in MONTHS. I am very truly sorry! I honestly forgot about the story with everything going on in my life... BUT, I had a few reviews lately and it reminded me of everyone who wanted me to continue. So, Christmas holidays *cue cheer* I will hope fully be getting into the writing more again. **

**Just so everyone knows, after Christmas I will be going away for 2 weeks, but, I will find the time to write. Cross my heart = )**

**OMG, has everyone read Last Sacrifice! Oh WOW, it was goooood : )can't wait for the spin-off series.**

**Anyways, on with the story. Richelle Mead owns all, except main plot.**

_**Previously on Forbidden Love:**_

_I turned and my eyes were met with the site I most dreaded. Ghostly pale skin and crimson red eyes._

_It was a face I knew well. The face of the self-righteous old bitch herself. Headmistress Kirova. A Strigoi..._

Chapter 11.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. I needed to act quickly. It was my job. I sprang into action, launching myself at Kirova. She seemed a little shocked at how quickly I moved, given she had the element of surprise. My stake was in my hand, ready to plunge deep into her chest. I don't think she had really thought about how strong a trained dhampir truly was. Especially one trained by the Russian God himself.

Kirova took a swipe at me, hitting me hard in the side of my head. I felt my vision blur a little, and a sharp pain shot through my head. But, I ignored it. I quickly assessed the situation I was in. I hoped to God that Lissa, Viktoria and Paul had stayed in the car. Kirova had moved forward again, and I leaped up, kicking out with my foot, hitting her squarely in the chest, throwing her off balance. I moved with my stake again, striking out. I missed. Her fist shot out again, but I was ready this time. I used my lighting fast speed and dodged neatly out of the way.

Just then, she made a vital mistake, playing into my advantage. She became distracted by the sound of many people in the distance screaming. She let her guard down, letting me get a clean shot at her chest. It was exactly what I needed. I didn't hesitate. I positioned my stake, and went for it. My stake plunged into her, piercing her heart. She fell, dead. I had killed my headmistress.

I took a deep breath and turned back to where I had left the others. Paul was curled up against his aunt, eyes wide with fear. Viktoria and Lissa were a little shocked, but otherwise okay. Unharmed at least.

"Are you all okay?" I asked, wiping the sweat off my head.

"I think the question is; are _you_ okay, Rose?" Lissa said, sliding from the car. Viktoria followed, with Paul in tow.

I nodded. "Of course I'm okay, I do this for a living." I grinned at them. Then I remembered, Dimitri.

"We have to find Dimitri." I said, turning toward the school's main building. When we reached the door, I pulled on the handle; locked. That's weird, I thought.

"Rose," Lissa's voice came from behind me. It was soft, but I could hear a little bit of fear tugging at her voice. "Can you hear that?" she asked.

I listened closely. "Yes..." I trailed off, listening harder. Screaming filled the air.

"It's coming from the other side of the grounds, I think." Viktoria murmured.

I was already one step ahead of her. I had realised where it was coming from before her and was already heading around the building. I broke into a jog. My heart was racing. I didn't know what I would find, but after seeing Kirova as a Strigoi, I was mentally preparing myself for anything that would come.

As we rounded the last corner, we were met with a scene right out of a gory action movie. Strigoi... everywhere. The school's guardians had swarmed the grounds, and were in battle.

Before I could really process what I was seeing, I heard someone call out to me. "Rose!" I would know that voice anywhere. Dimitri came to a stop beside me, his stake in his hand. "Get them inside and upstairs." He gestured to his sister, nephew and Lissa. "And," he turned to Viktoria who had been about to say something. "Do _not _leave." She cowered a little under her older brother's powerful glare.

Without a word, she took Paul's little hand in hers, and tugged on Lissa's sleave. "Come on." She said. They all left.

"Rose, come on. We have to help." Dimitri said it with such urgency, that it snapped me out of my initial shock at seeing the school under massive threat.

I took off ahead of Dimitri, running into the midst of the fight. A female strigoi came at me straight away, but she was sloppy and I took her down in less than thirty seconds. The next one was harder. He was skilled and very, very strong. Older, I guessed. They older a strigoi was, the stronger he was. We had a kind of dance going on. Every time I swiped he would dodge, and vice-versa. We were moving away from the main group and I started to worry that this was his plan. Get me away and turn me, or kill me. I couldn't let either happen, but of course, if I were given the choice, I would choose the latter.

Just then, Eddie Castile appeared at my side, completely out of nowhere. He caused the distraction, and I took charge, staking the strigoi in the heart.

"You okay, Rose?" Eddie called to me. I nodded in reply, unable to speak. I could feel my head pounding and I felt dizzy, no doubt the result of being smashed in the head by Kirova. I fought the dizziness all I could, but things started to go all funny and I blacked out.

**A/N. **

**Sooooo, what did ya think? Short I know, but I had to cut the chapter, cause it just wouldn't have really... **_**flowed**___**if I had continued with this one. **

**But, next chapter up tomorrow night hopefully : ) fingers crossed. Im really starting to enjoy writing again. YAY. **

**Anyhooo, REVIEWS WOULD BE GREAT!**

**More reviews = more chapters =D**

**Bxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I must admit, i'm a little disappointed with the amount of reviews. I had about 20 people add my story to their favourites and alerts, but only about 7 reviews. :( **

**Oh well, HEY, im reading the series again:) almost finished vampire academy for like, the millionth time. Never gets old:)**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns this spectacular series, and the characters... except Adrian. Yeah, I own him. He's pretty coooool. ;)**

**Chapter 12.**

Dimitri's POV.

I saw Rose and Eddie fighting the Strigoi out the corner of my eye, but I had my own fight going on, so I didn't really give it much thought. Rose was a good fighter, she would be fine. I staked my Strigoi, and he fell. I turned ready to face another opponent, when I saw Rose sway a little on her feet, then collapse. Eddie had noticed this just before I did and was already rushing to her side. I glanced around first, seeing the bodies covering the ground. It was all over.

I hurried to Rose and Eddie. He had half pulled her into his lap, her head resting on his leg. A shot of jealousy ran through me, seeing how he could hold her like that in public and no one would give it a second thought. I couldn't do that. I shook of the dark feelings. Rose was in danger and I had to get to her.

"What happened?" I asked desperately, causing Eddie to jump slightly. He had been bent over Rose, talking softly and stroking her face.

"I'm not sure. She was fine, and then she just... passed out," he cast another worried look down at my Roza. "She didn't even get hurt, the Strigoi didn't touch her." I nodded in acknowledgement. I knelt down, my hand hovering over her. Eddie shifted back and I took Rose in my arms, lifting her easily. There didn't appear to be any physical damage to her body, besides a red mark on the side of her face. She _had _been hit.

"Will she be okay?" Eddie asked me in a frightened voice. I knew there was nothing going on between them, that Eddie had always assumed Rose and Mason had been together, but, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of resentment toward the novice.

"Concussion, I think. She should be fine." _Hopefully. _I added silently. "Roza," I murmured softly. "Roza, wake up." She didn't even stir. Panic flared in my chest. What if she had other injuries and I didn't know. What if she didn't wake up? Oh God. My heart was racing.

Eddie looked at me. "Come on, Guardian Belikov, we need to take her to the medical unit. She needs to be checked."

We walked in silence, me carrying Roza. I looked all around me, people were standing in huddles, talking quietly about what had just gone down. Others were nursing wounds of their own, or helping friends to the hospital. It appeared Rose was the only one who was not conscious.

Strigoi covered the ground, all dead. There were dozens of them! I had never seen Strigoi numbers like this. It was shocking. Another thing occurred to me, _how did they get in? _There was no way a Strigoi could break wards. Of course, we knew now that humans were working with Strigoi, and they could touch stakes. They could have broken the wards surrounding the school.

Eddie and I reached the nurse, and I laid Rose down on one of the spare beds. Dr. Olendzki hurriedly came over.

"Oh, not again! Rose spends more time in here than she does anywhere else!" she exclaimed, although there was worry in her voice. I suspected that she had grown fond of Rose. It was hard not to, what with her beauty, great sense of humour, and of course, her ability to break rules to help out her friends.

"I think she has a concussion," I told Dr. Olendzki. "It looks like she was hit in the side of her head." I pointed to the mark on Rose's gorgeous face.

Dr. Olendzki nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yes, you're probably right. Was it a Strigoi?" she looked up at me. I didn't actually know if it _was _a Strigoi, but I assumed that it had been.

"Yes, I believe so." I took Rose's hand in mine, not caring what people thought. I squeezed her hand. Her fingers twitched in mine, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open. I let out a sigh of relief, not realising that I had been holding my breath for a while now and it felt good to fill my lungs with fresh air again.

"Dimitri..." she whispered, her voice hoarse. Dr. Olendzki was fussing around, checking her temperature and heart rate.

"I'm here Roza, right here." I rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Rose, how are you feeling? Can you tell me what happened?" That was Dr. Olendzki.

Rose looked as though she had to think for a moment before replying. "I feel a little dizzy, but otherwise okay. And, oh my gosh! It was Kirova! She's Strigoi, or... she _was _a Strigoi. But she isn't anymore, well, she technically still is a Strigoi... just a dead one." Rose finished. I took a few seconds to contemplate what she had said. Kirova... a Strigoi?

"Rose... are you _sure _it was Kirova?" maybe Rose _had _suffered from a concussion. I wasn't sure if I believed her or not. After being hit in the head, she wasn't exactly a liable source.

Rose nodded her head vigorously, but stopped when she winced. "Deadly sure. I fought her, and I won." She said the last line bluntly. It wasn't everyday you fought and killed your headmistress, although I'm sure a lot of students have fantasised about it.

Suddenly Rose shot up, and gasped. My hands flew to her, thinking something was hurting. "Rose, what's wrong?" I asked desperately. Panic was evident upon her face.

"Lissa! And Paul and Viktoria!" Oh God. I hadn't even thought of my sister or my nephew or the last remaining Dragomir. All I had been thinking of was Rose. _Shit. _

I looked at her, letting my gaze run over her. I liked what I saw, but the look was purely to see if she looked healthy enough to walk. She noticed my gaze and flushed a lovely pink. I raised my eyes back to her face. "Do you think you can walk? Do you feel up to it?"

"Yes, I'm fine, let's just go. I need to make sure Lissa is okay..." She slid out of the bed, but she stumbled a little. I grabbed her arm, helping her regain her balance. "It's fine." She muttered. I decided not to ask. She wouldn't give me a straight answer even if she was dying. We left the medical room.

ROSE'S POV.

As we left the hospital, I reached out through the bond to find Lissa. I slipped into her mind easily. A quick assessment of her thoughts, and I found that she was fine, worried, but not hurt. Lissa was in the commons, which were full of students and guardians alike. It was completely packed out. I pulled out of her head, coming back into my own mind once again. Dimitri was looking at me intently.

"She's in the commons with Paul and Viktoria. They're all okay." Relief washed through me. I had been so worried about Lissa, my best friend, my sister.

Dimitri caught me a little off guard when he bent down and lightly brushed his lips against my own. My breath caught and I leaned toward him, kissing him with passion. He responded by winding his arms around my body and pulling me closer to him. The kiss started soft and gentle, but still full of passion, then it changed in intensity. I crushed myself to him, feeling the rise and fall of his chest and our breathing grew heavier.

He pushed me against the nearest wall. Breaking the kiss, he then proceeded to trail sensual kisses down my neck. "Roza." He murmured, voice husky. The sound of my Russian nickname sent shivers down my spine, and I pulled his face back to mine, catching his lower lip between mine, sucking it lightly. He moaned into my mouth.

Then, without warning, he pulled away. "Roza," he began with laboured breath. "We can't do this, not now and especially not in the corridor where anyone could see." I felt deflated after that wonderful kiss. My lips and skin still burned from where his own lips and left kisses.

Dimitri leaned in again, kissing me softly. The fire was gone, but there was still passion there. It was soft and sweet. I held his face gently in my hands, marvelling at his beauty. Every day, my love for him had grown stronger, intensifying in moments where we shared those stolen kisses in the gym.

He pulled away one last time. "Come on, Roza, we should get to the commons and see if everyone is okay." He grabbed one of my hands, pulling it from his face, but not letting go. We walked hand in hand. It felt good to hold his hand; it was a warm and comforting feeling, like we were meant to be like this. As we walked, thoughts of Christian and Jesse suddenly came flooding back to me. I felt the worry build up in me again, I hoped that Christian would be okay... Jesse, well I didn't want to see him die, but, Christian was the one i was worried about most. I just needed to know where he was and if he was still alive...

**A/N: sooooo, what did you think? Love, like, hate? I really need to know. The more feedback I get, the more I feel encouraged to write, and remember, I'm not just writing for my own pleasure, I do it for you guys who take the time to read my fanfic. **

**So, I need **_**constructive **_**criticism. I need to know if what I am writing is good. **

**And, also, do you like the Dimitri's POV? Should I do more? Or just stick with Rose? It's all up to my lovely readers: )**

**Remember, REVIEW my darlings. Just hit that little button, come on, you know you want to :D**

**. xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Reviews... oh how they make me happy : ) much better response for this chapter. It makes me want to continuously write good chapters for you guys! **

**Anyway... Christmas is only 8 days away! HAHAHHA. Clap if you love Santa! You clapped, didn't you? LOL. **

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns VA! And, we should all be thankful that she has graced us with her fabulous characters whom we love to hate and love to love. **

**And, on with chapter 13. **

**CHAPTER 13.**

**Rose's POV.**

As Dimitri and I neared the student commons, he let my hand fall. I sighed and he smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Roza. I love you." He kissed me on the head, as we entered the commons.

"Love you too, Comrade." I murmured back quietly. I looked around the crowded room, searching for my friends. I spotted Adrian standing in a corner, talking quietly with Lissa. Weird, I thought. Adrian and Lissa were good friends, having Spirit in common, but now wasn't really the time to be talking about Spirit, not when Lissaʹs boyfriend was missing.

"This way," I told Dimitri, gesturing over to my friends.

"You go on, Roza, I have to go see the guardians, find out if there is anything I can do to help." I nodded absentmindedly. I felt Dimitri run his hand along my cheek before departing. I stalked over to the corner.

"What's going on over here?" I asked suspiciously. Adrian wheeled around. Very suspicious. Lissa looked a little frightened, but then her face became relieved and she threw herself into my arms.

"Oh my God! Rose, are you okay? I heard what happened. I was so worried." She gushed. I patted her lightly on the back.

"Yeah, Liss, I'm fine. Just a bruise, see?" I gestured vaguely to my purple and black cheek.

"Oh Rose, I was worried beyond belief. I thought... well, you're fine now. "

I remembered why I had come over to see them. "So, what were you guys talking about before?" I asked, eyeing them carefully. I touched the bond, Lissa was blocking me. I gave her a questioning look.

"Uh, we weren't really talking about anything." So, she was going for a lie. Okay then, she couldn't keep up the wall forever. I would keep trying to get a glimpse of what was going on in her head. I managed to get into her head once again, but she was keeping her mind busy. There was something though... worry lurked in the back of her mind. But I couldn't grasp what it was. I pulled out when I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Dimitri.

"Hey Comrade," I said lightly, turning toward him. "The guardian's didn't need you, then?"

"Um, could I please speak to you?" he sounded very formal, and he bowed slightly in Lissaʹs direction. "Princess." He said politely. Dimitri didn't even acknowledge that Adrian was standing there. Dimitri didn't like Adrian.

He turned back to me; "Rose?" I nodded and followed him out of the commons, and out into the warm morning sunshine.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"We believe we have located Christian and Jesse." I stood still for a second, processing what he said, then I looked up at him.

"Where?" My voice came out a whisper, but Dimitri's enhanced Dhampir hearing caught the word.

"A house about an hour out of Billings." I calculated the distance, it was about six hours to Billings.

"Okay, are we going?" I asked, desperate to get going.

Dimitri's face remained impassive. "The guardians and myself are going. _You _are staying here." The way he said it was very final, but I was not one to go down without a fight, especially when it was my friend's life at stake.

"Dimitri, I can help," I said with desperation. I dropped my eyes for effect when I said the next part. "And besides, I would worry about you if I wasn't there. I _need _to know that you are safe."

"Roza, you know perfectly well that I can look after myself, that's what being a guardian is about; putting your life on the line for Moroi. I need you to stay here, and please, don't be difficult about all of this; it's too dangerous to take lightly."

I decided to drop it for a moment. "Why did you tell me separately? Shouldn't Lissa be the one to know first?"

"I wanted to tell you first because I wanted _you _to tell Vasilisa. It might be easier coming from her best friend." What did that mean? I voiced my question.

"We... don't know for sure that nothing has happened to them, and Vasilisa needs to be prepared if... if things go bad and we can't get them out."

Oh God. "Well, thanks Comrade, you left me with a _fantastic _job to do. I'm sure that telling my best friend that her boyfriend may not be coming back alive, if he comes back at all. That should be a blast." (***cue sarcasm*). **

Dimitri flinched at my words. "Rose, don't be like that. You know I only asked you to tell her because you know her best. And, I truly do believe that it will be best if you tell her. She needs you for support, Rose. You are her rock." As he spoke, his hands and come up to rest on my shoulders, and now he was gripping me tightly.

I understood what he was saying, but there was no way I was going to let him know he had won. I acted pissed. "I have to go to tell my best friend that Christian is probably dead. Excuse me." I pushed away from him, and his hands fell to his sides. I stalked away.

**Dimitri's POV.**

I watched Rose's retreating back. I felt deflated. That did not going according to plan. I thought Rose would agree that she should be the one to tell Lissa. But, obviously I was wrong.

I collapsed on the grass, letting the sun warm my face. I missed the sun, the warmth. My thoughts were interrupted then; "Dimka?" Viktoria. I would know her voice anywhere.

"Mmmm?" I sat up, turning around to face my sister. She sat down beside me.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I gave her a smile. "Just stuff with Rose. She's so stubborn, but... I love her." Viktoria leaned across and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. We had never really had a typical brother/sister relationship. We had always been close, best friends in a way.

"Oh, Dimka, she loves you and she's a great person." Viktoria gave me a soft smile.

"I know. I love her too, but sometimes, I just wish that she wasn't so difficult. I just want her to be safe."

We sat in silence for a few moments until I felt Rose snake her arms around me from behind and kiss my neck. "I'm sorry." She murmured against my skin. I grabbed her hands and pulled her around so she was on my lap.

"Don't apologise, you were right. It will be hard to tell Lissa. And I understand why you want to come; Christian is your friend, and he's important to Lissa." I kissed her softly on the cheek, and she sighed, relaxing into my arms.

"Oh my God! You too are so ADORABLE!" Viktoria gushed. "I need to get me a man!"

**Rose's POV**

Dimitri glared at her. "You're too young."

I giggled and slapped Dimitri lightly on the arm. "Leave your sister alone, any guy would be lucky to have her." Dimitri mumbled something in Russian that I didn't understand. Viktoria laughed, the stood up.

"Well, I'm going to leave you two lovers to it," she winked. "And, keep it G rated." She took off before her brother could say something about her comment.

Dimitri shifted me off his lap and stood up, pulling me up with him. "Come on, Roza. I need to go back and you should go see Lissa."

"Mmmmkay." I walked away in the opposite direction to Dimitri. The bond told me Lissa was in her room with Adrian.

I made my way there, waling idly. I thought back to everything that had happened lately. I felt like I never got a break. Strigoi attacks, people missing, my bestfriend potentially going crazy, me going crazy. My life was such a mess. The only thing that got me up every day was that I knew I was going to see the love of my life. Thinking of Dimitri brought a smile to my face.

I reached Lissaʹs room and I knocked lightly. "Who is it?" she called. "It's Rose." I called through the door.

I heard the springs of Lissaʹs bed creak as she jumped up and opened the door. She looked a little flustered. "Oh hey Rose," she looked behind her, at Adrian I assumed.

She still stood, blocking the door way. "Um, can I come in?" I asked.

"Uhh, sure," Lissa said. "Come in." She stood back and allowed me to pass through, into her room. Adrian was leaning casually up against the wall on the far side of the room.

"Hey Adrian." He gave me a warm smile.

"Hi there, Little Dhampir." He crossed the room and swept me up into a bone-crushing hug. He kissed me lightly on the fore-head. "You smell good, as always." I shook my head and laughed and his flirtatious attitude. "You sure you won't go out with me, Rosie?"

"Very sure, Ivashkov. I hate to burst your bubble, but you can't have every girl you see." He set me down firmly on my feet once more and pouted.

"Aww, but I want to." He sounded like a little kid.

"Sorry Champ." I swatted him across his head. I then turned to Lissa, realising that she hadn't said a word since she let me into her room.

"Hey Liss, everything okay?" I asked her worriedly. She glanced at Adrian. Then said; "Yeah, everything is fine. I just miss Christian." Her voice shook and I walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her close.

"We'll find him... he'll come back. I won't rest until he's back here safe in your arms, Liss." I murmured to her. In an attempt to lighten the mood Adrian threw himself across the room and engulfed us both in a very tight hug.

"Group hug!" he yelled. Lissa and I laughed and we both punched him in the chest.

"Oomph." Adrian grunted as I hit him a little harder than I meant and he fell to the floor, me falling on top of him.

"Now, little dhampir, _this _is how I like you to be." He ran his hands down my arms, and I quickly jumped off him.

"Very funny, Ivashkov," I retorted. "But, next time, I'll hit you where it hurts most... that pretty little face of yours." I grinned mischievously at Adrian and he feigned horror. Lissa laughed at our gallivanting. I liked this side of Adrian. When he wasn't relentlessly flirting with me, we had a hell of a lot of fun together. He was easy to get along with and comfortable to be around. There was never any awkwardness where Adrian Ivashkov was concerned. He always kept the mood light and friendly. That was what I loved about the guy.

I took a moment to slip into Lissa's mind, trying to catch her off guard. I figured she wouldn't have the walls up when I was in such a light hearted mood and fooling around with Adrian. I was wrong, god dammit. The walls she kept around some of her thoughts were still firmly in place, never wavering. She was getting good at keeping me out. It used to take up a lot of her energy and she could never keep it up for long, but these days she was able to keep me out for long periods of time and there never seemed to be any exhaustion on her part.

Feeling around her mind, I found that there was worry for Christian and even a little bit for me, which was weird because there was nothing wrong with me, I wasn't the own missing, presumed dead. But then again, Lissa always worried about me even though it was _my _job to worry about _her. _

"Anyway, you guys up for dinner?" As I spoke, my tummy growled at the prospect of food. The last time I had eaten was at the food court at the mall. That all seemed like a life time away after everything that had happened. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved."

"Actually, if it's okay could we go see the feeders first?" Lissa asked. Adrian nodded in agreement.

"Sure," I said. I looked down at my stomach. "Sorry buddy, but food is gonna have to wait." Lissa laughed again and Adrian chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're one weird child, Rose." He grinned lightly, showing his bright white fangs. Most Moroi didn't show their teeth when they smiled, preferring to remain inconspicuous when around humans because their fangs showed. It didn't really matter though as humans tended to disbelieve in the supernatural and it rarely registered when they saw it. The just dismissed it.

We made our way down to the feeders room. Usually it was full of students getting the fix of blood, but today there was only one other student. A junior boy whose name I had forgotten, but Lissa had apparently remembered.

"Hey Josh." Lissa smiled warmly at the younger boy who nodded in return and gave a shy wave, glancing in my direction briefly before letting his gaze fall.

"_Awwwhhh, I think he likes you, Rose." _Lissa gushed through the bond. I gave her a dirty look. Too young for me. And besides, Dimitri was the only one for me.

Lissa and Adrian went over to the feeders, Lissa going for a young man named Aaron. I liked Aaron, he was always nice even if he was a blood whore and constantly high from the bite of a Moroi. Adrian made his way over to Alice, the elderly feeder who I always thought was a little nutty.

Lissa sat down beside Aaron. "Hi Aaron." She greeted him.

"Princess, always a pleasure." He gazed dazedly at her. I had to look away as Lissa fed, but I tuned into Adrian's conversation with old Alice.

"Good afternoon Alice my dear." Adrian patted her on the shoulder as he sat down.

"Lord Ivashkov... how are you deary?" she asked, with a fond smile in Adrian's direction. She liked Adrian because he was fun to be around. And he was always very nice to her. Old people liked nice young guys.

"Swell, Alice, very swell." Adrian shot me a grin when he saw me watching them.

"That's good dear, that's good." She patted him clumsily on the hand that was resting on her knee.

Adrian bent his head forward and I looked away, fazing it out. "Rose, you ready to go?" Lissa was done.

"Yep, let's go. Hey Ivashkov, we'll meet you in the cafeteria." I called over my shoulder as we ascended the stairs.

"Rose... I can't shake the feeling that something is bothering you?" it sounded like a question when she voiced her concerns. Like she was unsure.

I decided to tell her about what Dimitri had told me. She deserved to know, even though it was going to kill her inside. "Come on, I'm not hungry anymore." I steered her in the direction of my room. "We need to talk."

**A/N: Yay, it's almost 12am, and I have FINALLY completed this chapter. I found it a little difficult to write, but I think I'm happy with it. But only you can tell me how good it is simply by pressing that button at the bottom of your page to REVIEW! **

**Your reviews mean the world to me and it would be a great Christmas present, especially since it won't cost you anything! **

**Anyway, this will probably be the last time I update before the New Year because I'm going away for 2 weeks. So, hopefully I'll have a long chapter for you around the 10****th**** of Jan. Fingers crossed.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! **

**~****~**


	14. Chapter 14

"She deserved to know, even though it was going to kill her inside. "Come on, I'm not hungry anymore." I steered her in the direction of my room. "We need to talk." ""

...

Lissa stared at me, her expression completely blank. We sat in an uncomfortable silence for what felt like hours. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "Lissa, say something," I whispered. "Please."

"Rose... I know where Christian is and it's not Billings. He's in Russia. Strigoi have him. I don't know where the guardians got their information, but it's wrong. I know that because I got it straight from the source.

It was my turn to stare at her, my mind ticking, not comprehending what she was saying. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I started to understand what she said.

"Y...you've spoken to them?" I asked in horror.

She simply nodded. "They called me. That's what I was talking to Adrian about before. He said that he has visited Christian in his dreams, but he had no idea where he was. He was blind folded as soon as they got him out of the academy. And... And I think they have drugged him. Adrian said he was a bit... Delusional. Christian didn't really know what had happened to him. Oh Rose, what am I going to do? I can't lose him!" Tears glistened in her beautiful green eyes.

"I told you before; you won't lose him," I said, the determination clear in my voice. "Lissa, I need you to stay right here, and i'll be back in five minutes." She nodded and I left her sitting on my bed.

I rushed down the stairs to the staff room, searching for Dimitri. He wasn't there. I made my way to the east wing of campus where the teachers and guardians lived. Slipping through the door, I practically ran down the hall to Dimitri's room, banging loudly on his door until he jerked it open, looking a little irritated until his eyes fell on me, taking in my frantic expression. I realised then that I had obviously dragged the poor guy out of bed. He stood before me dressed in nothing but black satin boxers. I forcefully drew my eyes away from his shirtless torso, focusing on his face.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked me, a bit wearily. He did look really tired.

"it's Lissa, well, Christian. She knows where he is. But she said it's not Billings. Dimitri," I took a deep breath, "Christian is in Russia, held by Strigoi, possibly drugged according to Adrian." I finished.

Instantly, sleep fled from his dark brown eyes, replaced by a hard determined look. In a flash he was pulling on his jeans and t-shirt. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door behind him.

We barged back into my room, and I breathed a sigh of relief to see that Lissa was still sitting patiently on my bed. She stood up as Dimitri and I entered.

"Princess," Dimitri bowed slightly in her direction. "Rose has told me what has happened, but we need more information." Just then there was a knock on my door. I frowned ad went to open it. Alberta pushed her way into my room with a; "Miss Hathaway please move."

I frowned again. "How did you..." Dimitri cut me off.

"I paged her." was all he said. I nodded.

"Miss Dragomir, please give us a full explanation on what you know about the whereabouts of Christian Ozera and Jesse Zeklos." Alberta said in a no nonsense voice.

Lissa took a deep breath before starting what I'm sure was a very difficult task for my bestfriend. "Well, I received a text message on Tuesday of last week saying that if I wanted Christian to survive, I... Uhh, I had to hand myself over." I felt a low growl build in my chest and I was about to say something when Dimitri placed his hand on my arm in a silencing gesture.

Lissa continued. "I asked them where they were, but I didn't receive a reply for over 24 hours. They eventually called early Thursday morning saying that I was to meet them in Moscow in Russia in two weeks." she lapsed into silence.

I walked over to her slumped and defeated form, wrapping my arms around her trembling body. "It's okay, Liss," I rubbed her back in a soothing manner. "I already told you, I won't rest until I find Christian and kill those bastards for taking him," she smiled a watery smile, and returned my hug.

Dimitri and Alberta were talking in low whispers. I could pick up what they were saying with little difficulty. "We need to get moving quickly, devise a plan today," Alberta was saying. "There's no question that Miss Hathaway and Princess Dragomir will stay at the Academy where they will be safe."

No way in hell was I not going. "But I can help!" I blurted out, pulling away from Lissa and standing up. I saw Dimitri suck in a deep breath before he turned to me.

"Rose, you need to stay here," he said quietly. "We don't know how many Strigoi we are dealing with here, and you aren't ready for that kind of thing yet," I knew that a part of him was just using that as an excuse. He was worried about me, if I got hurt. Well I could look after myself, and I wasn't going to let this one slide. But before I could say anything, Lissa stood up facing the older guardians.

"I have to go too," she began. I growled. But she gave me a look that silenced me. What was she doing? How could she help? I opened myself up to her thoughts. But she spoke them aloud anyway. "They want me, if they think anyone else is going they will kill him. They need to think it's just me. And besides, I will know where they are, and where exactly to meet them." It made sense really. She was the one they would give info to, but if any news that guardians were accompanying her, Christian wouldn't live to see another day. The Strigoi would either kill him or worse.

Dimitri was watching Lissa carefully, contemplating what she said. "Princess, it's going to get very dangerous... We can't risk the life of a Moroi, especially a royal Moroi." I stole another glance at Dimitri. I completely agreed with Dimitri, but I also knew that Lissa could be of great benefit to getting Fire Boy back.

I turned to face Dimitri and Alberta. "Guardian Petrov, Guardian Belikov," I addressed them formally. Saying Guardian Belikov never seemed to come out right, it just didn't sound natural coming from me. "I think Lissa should come, and maybe even Adrian." Confusion swept over the guardians' faces. I could see Dimitri was about to interrupt, but the look I gave him kept him quiet. "Adrian can dream walk, he is the only one that can get a direct connection to Christian. And I think that if he keeps trying, he may be able to get some useful information." I hoped.

Finally, finally, Dimitri and Alberta seemed to start agreeing. More guardians were called and soon my dorm room was full. They started making plans.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: here's chappie 15! **

**Enjoy my lovelieeees (: and and and, reviews make me happy. Getting lots of reviews will make going back to school Monday more bearable (: **

**Disclaimer: richelle mead owns the Vampire Academy series and I thank god everyday that she did. **

Chapter 15.

Lissa and I listened intently to the guardians plans. My mother, Janine Hathaway was among the guardians called to my dorm. She had taken the lead, with Dimitri standing next to her.

The plan was that we would wait until morning, the real morning when the sun was coming up. We would then head to the airport and board a plane bound for the capital of Russia. Plane tickets had already been booked and paid for. The first flight would take twenty of us. More guardians would follow on the following two flights. I would be on the first one with Lissa and Dimitri and seventeen other guardians. My mother would be on the second flight along with Adrian who would attempt to make contact with Christian in sleep. We were just hoping that Christian would sleep sometime while we were in the air.

At last everyone started to disperse from my room. Everyone but Dimitri. Lissa left along with everyone else, heading back to the Moroi dorm.

I lay back on my bed, exhaustion flooding my over tired mind and body. I heard Dimitri click my door shut behind the last person to leave. I closed my eyes, then felt Dimitri's fingers brush ever so softly along the length of my jaw.

"Are you okay, Roza?"

"Mmhmmm," I mumbled incoherently into my pillow. The bed moved as he sat down on the edge, resting his hand on my waist.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep," he suggested. "You have a big day tomorrow. I sat up and rubbed my eyes."

Shaking my head I said; "Nope, I have to pack and besides, there is no way I can sleep, not with everything that's going on." I hopped off the bed, moving around my room, flinging clothes onto the bed. I grabbed a large backpack and began shoving my clothes in. They didn't fit. "Dammit, why won't they fit?" I growled under my breath.

Dimitri regarded me with a slightly bemused expression. "Here's an idea. Why don't you _fold _the clothes? They might actually fit then."

I shot him a dirty look. "Because Rose Hathaway does not fold clothes. They should just fit." I retorted, continuing to force the clothes in.

Sighing, Dimitri pushed my hands away, pulling the t-shirt that was still in my grasp away from me. He dumped all the clothes that I had just put in the bag back on the bed. He then proceeded to fold each item neatly I noticed that he was avoiding my bras and underwear. I smirked. The bad ass Russian God couldn't handle girls' underwear. "What's wrong, Belikov, don't like my underwear?" I asked him with a playful swat across the shoulder.

Dimitri looked up at me, glared, then picked up my lacy black bra and matching panties and folding them neatly, put them at the top of my bag. He raised one dark eyebrow. Damn him, I always wished I could do that. "No, Roza, on the contrary I quite like your underwear," I forced back the laugh that threatened to escape my lips.

"Uh-huh," I muttered, flashing him a grin.

"So, you say you won't be able to sleep tonight?" he asked, moving the conversation away from my infamous underwear. A whole string of dirty thoughts flashed through my mind, many of them involving Dimitri naked in my bed, doing... things. Things such as... _Not _sleeping.

I threw him my man-eater smile, and watched as he caught his breath. Dimitri cleared his throat, so I answered his question. "Mmmhmm, that's correct. Why do you ask?"

"Do you want to go down to the gym and spar?

"Sure," I said, "Just give me a sec and I'll get changed." I grabbed my training clothes and headed into the bathroom adjacent to my bedroom. I quickly slipped into my tight white tank top and black shorts. I bounded back into my room, snatching up my trainers.

"Let's go, Comrade," I said in a sing song voice. He chuckled lightly at my immaturity and followed me out the door.

As we walked in companionable silence, I decided to check in with Lissa. getting into head no longer posed any problem for me, it was the getting out part that was hard. But, she was sitting quietly at her desk, scribbling away at her math homework. How she could think about homework at a time like this I'll never know. But doing something that required concentration helped to calm her, to take away the bad thoughts. I pulled out of her head as we reached the gym.

"How's Lissa holding up?" Dimitri asked, knowing full well that I had been with her.

"Calm, for now," I murmured. He just nodded and held the gym door open for me to enter before him. I moved immediately to the store room, dragging out mats for us to spar on. We set up perimeters around us, making a square that we couldn't step out of.

Dimitri and I stood opposite each other, looking for an opening to make the first move. I found what I was looking for and lunged, aiming a kick to his stomach. He anticipated it, blocking my attack deftly. We circled, watching the other intently. I swung my fist out, making contact with the side of his face. "Point," I muttered. He nodded in agreement.

I was suddenly on the defence as Dimitri struck out, landing a hard blow to my shoulder. I winced but shook of the momentary flare of pain. Pain was something I could handle. But I stumbled and ended up stepping outside the lines. "Double point," he murmured.

We circled, waiting for the other to slip up. Unfortunately that was me. I left my upper body unguarded and Dimitri took advantage of that, slinking forward with Strigoi speed, he grabbed me by the torso, flipping me over and pinning my body with his. Dimitri shoved his fist to my heart. "Dead," he murmured, his lips so close they grazed my ear lobe. I feigned being dead and Dimitri chuckled his low throaty chuckle. The sound wrapped around my body like a silk sheath.

He propped himself up on his elbows, taking care to keep a majority of his weight off my body. He stared into my eyes, before lowering his lips to mine, his lips barely brushing against my own. I shuddered at the feathery touch. Dimitri caught my bottom lip between his own, sucking lightly. I fought back a moan that threatened to escape. Dimitri knew perfectly well the effect he had on me. That's why we had tried too hard to stay away from each other, for Lissa's sake. That had all come crashing down when we finally agreed to be together, as long as no-one found out. We hadn't slept together, but we had come close numerous times before we pulled away. For the first time, I realised that although I loved Dimitri with all my heart, I wasn't ready to go all the way with him yet. He understood that, agreeing that we should wait until after I graduated to become intimate.

Dimitri's hands travelled down my waist, working his magic. I trembled under his touch and he brought his lips crashing back to mine. I moaned audibly into his mouth, earning a groan from him. He pulled back, allowing me to breath. I gasped in the fresh air as he nose skimmed down my collar bone tracing patterns there. Wherever he touched me, it left me feeling overheated, I was so sensitive to his magical touch.

He suddenly pulled back when someone cleared their throat. He froze for a second before relaxing. He still hadn't moved off me. "Good evening, Viktoria," he murmured, shifting off me. I sat up, and looked over to the door where Viktoria was lounging, a look of disgust on her beautiful features.

"Get a room you two," she muttered with a rueful smile.

"Well, we did have a room before we were rudely interrupted, sister dear," Dimitri joked.

Viktoria giggled. Then her face darkened slightly. If I had been a sprit user, I would say her aura would have shadowed a little with her mood change. "So, Dimka, I heard you're going to Russia..." she said.

A frown crossed Dimitri's face as he stared at his sister. "What's with the attitude?" he questioned.

"Why aren't I going? You're taking two Moroi, two _royal _Moroi, and Rose but I just heard about it from Lissa about five minutes ago. I can help. I'm trained and I can fight." She protested.

Dimitri countered her argument in rapid Russian. I had no clue what he was saying, but I was pretty sure he was telling her that coming was out of the question. I heard my name thrown in there a couple of times along with Lissa's and Adrian's.

Deciding to leave them to argue I started walking away. "Wait Rose," Dimitri called after me.

"I'm just going to get changed," I told him with a smile. He nodded then turned back to Viktoria. Their rally of rapid arguing began again. Viktoria looking furious and Dimitri, his usual calm expression on his face. But I knew him better than that; he was getting angry and losing control.

I quickly slipped into the bathroom and changed back into my jeans and a t-shirt. I went to the mirror and tugged my hair loose of its confinements, letting my curls fall around my face and over my shoulders. I ran my fingers through my hair, then exited the bathroom. Viktoria was gone and Dimitri was standing up against the wall opposite the girls bathroom. I made my way to him.

"Hey," I murmured as he took me in his arms.

"Hey yourself," he said smiling down at me. I noticed that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Everything okay with Viktoria?" I asked, reaching up to touch his face lightly. His expression softened at my touch and he sighed, leaning into my hand.

"She's angry," he said by way of explanation. "She has no idea what it's actually like out there, no idea. It was kind of like what you said after the Badica attack; that you could take them out. Viktoria it nowhere near ready to take on actual Strigoi. She's just a kid." He said matter-of-factly.

"I know," I said softly. "I know you still see her as a little girl, but she is sixteen, almost seventeen, and maybe, if she stays here long enough, we could do some double training sessions... you can mentor her." Dimitri looked down at me.

"We'll see," I kissed me on the fore-head then took my hand and headed toward the door. "Come on, Roza, it's time to get some sleep."

When we got to my room, he leaned down, kissed me lightly then pulled away. "Goodnight, Roza. I'll see you in the morning, try and get some sleep."

"Night," I murmured. He stroked my cheek the left. I walked into my room and collapsed onto my bed, not bothering to undress. As I fell asleep, I felt a dream evolve around me. Adrian.

"Hey there, Little Dhampir," I took in my surroundings. We were back at the ski lodge where we first met. Only now it was warm and sunny, with flowers blooming everywhere. It was beautiful.

"Hi," I said softly.

He looked me over. "I like the dress."

"Huh?" I said puzzled. I looked down at what I was wearing... and sighed. Adrian had dressed me in the dress that Lissa had brought be in Missoula. It was the same one Dimitri had practically ripped off me the night of Victor Dashkov's lust charm. The chotki Lissa had given me was around my wrist.

"What do you want Adrian? You could be using your time to try and get into Christian's head." I pointed out.

"Already tried about ten minutes ago. He's awake.

"Oh," was all I managed to come up with.

"Soooo, I decided I would come and annoy you instead." Adrian chuckled. He ran his hand through his messy bronze hair.

"Are you okay, Little Dhampir?" he asked tenderly. Adrian knew when something was bothering me. Not just by my aura, but because he knew me.

"Just worried about how everything is going to go down in Russia. We won't all come out of there alive..." I spoke the inevitable. There was a next to no chance that we would all survive what was about to come. I just hoped that it wouldn't be Lissa, Dimitri, Adrian or Christian.

Adrian wrapped his arms around me, kissing me lightly on the cheek. "I know," he whispered. "But, let's just live in the moment... kay?" he said playfully.

I cracked him my man-eater smile. He tickled me then ran. I took off after him, giggling. "I'll get you, Ivashkov," I called out as I closed the distance. I tackled him to the lush green grass, and we both fell laughing. "It's good to see you smile, Little Dhampir," Adrian said reaching down and catching my hand in his. "I've missed it."

I smiled up at him. "I'll send you back now, Little Dhampir. I'm gonna see if Christian is sleeping," I nodded as the dream scene fizzled out around me and I fell back into a dreamless sleep with a smile on my face for the first time in ages.

**AN. What did you guys think? Reviews (: **

**Until next chapter. Toooooootles xx.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Vampire Academy, I just merely enjoy playing around with them.**

**Enjoy and review, and I'll see you at the bottom with an authors note.**

Chapter 16.  
Adrian's Point Of View.

I let Rose slip back into her own dreams as I opened up my mind, searching for Christian's unconscious mind. I found him easily and conjured up a bright, sunny day on the beach. I figured the guy could use something a little more cheerful to look at.

I looked around, peering into the brightness, looking for Christian. I could see him; eyes closed not twenty feet away from where I stood at the water's edge. Christian was leaning casually up against a tall oak tree that threw the surrounding area into a cool shade. It was kind of picturesque, what with the turquoise blue ocean and the perfectly white warm sand and the tall trees that lined the cut off from the grassy area and the beach.

"Hey," I called, catching Christian's attention. His eyes flew open and he pushed himself off the tree. He turned to face me as I approached him. Christian looked a little surprised to see me standing there and even more shocked at his bright surroundings and the waves lapping gently at the shore. "You okay buddy? I asked as I came closer to him.

Christian just shrugged his shoulders up and down in a very nonchalant way. "I've been better," he said simply, his voice held absolutely no emotion. The tone he used was flat, defeated. His eyes looked a little dazed. I looked him over quickly, assessing the damage. I noticed the cuts on his face and bare arms were undoubtedly fresh, probably happened in the last few hours. I winced when I saw the huge open gash down his left cheek. It looked extremely painful. "What are you doing here, Adrian?" he asked with an exhausted sigh. He slid down the tree, resting his head on the trunk. I sat down opposite him in the white sand. "I'm trying to sleep in case you were unaware." he pointed out.

"God, you're just like Rose used to be when first started dream walking through her head. You "are" asleep Pyro boy," I said using one of his more popular fire related nicknames. He scowled. "This is just a dream, it's all taking place in your mind while you sleep, only this dream is much more real than your inappropriate dreams about Lissa," I smiled evilly. Christian flipped me the finger and shot me a dirty look. I took it unabashedly. I was used to getting dirty looks, especially from girls.

"You didn't answer my question, Adrian," Christian said with a sigh. "What are you doing here?" he repeated exasperatedly.

"Oh yeah, that," I wondered if I should tell him that we were coming to rescue his ass. Would he be able to keep it to himself and not give anything away in his dishevelled and possibly mentally unstable state? I realised that Christian was watching me expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question. "Well, about that," I said slowly, still going through the number of possibilities in my head. I decided to take the risk and tell him everything. "Well," I started again. "We are coming to get you out of there tomorrow," I said quickly.

Christian's eyes widened at my words. "When you say _we_, you mean...? He trailed off, leaving me to finish his sentence.

"I mean the academy's guardian, a ton of other guardians from around the country. There are also guardians coming from Canada. I'm coming, so is Rose and Lissa." I mumbled the last one quietly because I knew Christian wouldn't want Lissa Dragomir, his girlfriend and last Dragomir, taking any part in staging a rescue mission when a bunch of blood thirsty and deranged Strigoi were involved. His hearing caught her name, despite my efforts to keep it quiet.

He shook his head in quick jerking motions. "No, not Lissa," he said adamantly. "_Please_ Adrian, make sure she doesn't come anywhere near this place," he begged quietly. "She'll be killed, they want her, Adrian. She won't get out of here alive." he said desperately.

"Hey, I don't have any say in the matter. And besides," It was time to tell him that the Strigoi were expecting Lissa in exchange for him. "Um, well the Strigoi are kinda expecting her to be there. They just don't know that the rest of us are going to be joining her in operation "Save Christian Ozera from the Evil Creatures of the Night." I said with a shrug.

Christian stared at me incredulously. "Even more reason to not even let her in the fucking country, let alone in this actual house full of Strigoi!" he was almost shouting his words now.

"She'll be the safest one there. She will be surrounded by the best guardians we can find the whole time we are in the country. I promise, no one will let any harm come to the Dragomir Princess." I said in an attempt to calm him down. His only response to that was to let out a string of obscenities that no one should ever have to hear. His mouth was almost a foul as Rose's when she was pissed off.

"She will be safe, Christian," I said sighing as I pulled out a packet of clove cigarettes from my jeans pocket. I searched my other pockets for a lighter and lit my cigarette.

"Do you have to smoke that disgusting thing in front of me?" Christian asked, trying to swat away the puff of smoke surrounding us.

I nodded. "Yep, you are giving me a headache with all your snarky arguments," I took a drag from my cigarette. "And you are being a dick when all anyone is trying to do is save your ass."

He stared down at the ground and ran his fingers across the cool white sand of the beach. "I know, and I'm thankful that you are just trying to help me, but you have no idea how worried I am about Lissa. I can't lose her," his voice cracked on his last sentence. Oh great, so he was going to cry in front of me. I don't like it when people cry around me. I never know what the hell I'm supposed to do to make everything better. I'm no fucking shrink.

"I know that, we are all worried about Lissa, but look at it this way, the only way we will be able to find you is if she comes, and you say you can't lose her, but if we don't come and get you, then _you_ will be the one who dies and she will lose you."

He sighed and nodded his head. "Keep her safe, and if any Strigoi come near her, get her out into the sun immediately." he instructed.

"Yeah I know. You sound lime the guardians. We have already been over the plan a thousand times," I said matter-of-factly. "I know the whole thing of by heart." I told him proudly with a grin that flashed my white, sharp fangs.

The dream scene started to dissolve then. "What's happening? Christian asked, standing up. I stood up too.

"You're waking up. Make sure you don't say anything about this. We need the element of surprise over them." I said hurriedly before the dream disappeared completely and I woke up in my own bed in my guest room at the academy.

I sighed and looked over at my digital clock. I still had three hours until my alarm went off and I had to be up and in the lobby, going over the plan one more time with everyone else. They were determined to drill every single little detail of the plan into our minds. But that was okay, because I had already learnt the whole thing. Well, I knew my role anyways, which was the most important thing. I lay back down and pulled the covers up over me again, and allowed my mind to drift off to a slumber again, dreading the next day when someone I knew would undoubtedly die at the hands of our enemy.

**AN. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Think it could be improved?**

**Would at least 15 reviews be too much to ask for? Because I am writing this instead of tackling the mountain of homework I have. Who else is doing year 10 this year? Are you getting a ton of homework? Cause I certainly am and it's only been two weeks since I started!**

**Anyways, remember, 15 reviews before I update next! So, get reviewing beautiful people.**

**xxbronteexx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sooooorry I haven't update in a while. I have like a million sac's to do! It's killing me. For those of you who don't know, a sac is just a practise exam, but still pretty intense with all the study and it has left me with like, no time to write. **

**Enough with the excuses, read and enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: the usual, I don't own anything except plot. Characters and all creative rights go to Richelle Mead.**

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Chapter 17.

Rose's POV.

It was the day off operation "Rescue Christian". Standing outside the Academy on an unseasonably cold morning for this time of year was not the way I – Rose Hathaway – preferred to start my days. But there I was, standing between Lissa and a guardian whose name I didn't know, freezing my ass off. I wrapped my arms around my quivering body in an attempt to slow the shudders that came with each gust of icy wind. This was done to no avail. I grimaced.

I jumped suddenly when I felt something being draped over my shoulders. I whipped around and found myself face to face with Lord Adrian Ivashkov himself. I glanced briefly at my shoulders. Adrian had wrapped his no doubt designer jacket around me. I made to remove it immediately.

"Thanks, but I don't need it," I told him as another gale force wind circled around the quad, making me shiver once again, blowing my bluff. Dammit.

Adrian smirked devilishly and fixed me with an amused look. He apprised my body. I felt like I was being studied under a microscope. Adrian always looked at me with appreciation and never tried to hide the fact that he wanted to get me in bed.

"Yeah, cause you look toasty warm already," he said, sarcasm drenching his words. That irritatingly handsome smirk never faltered. I tried not to say anything immature to him, but I couldn't resist one last quip in his direction. "Jackass," I murmured so low that only Adrian would have heard. He didn't take any offence to my cuss. He simply continued doing what Adrian Ivashkov does best and that's grinning loftily like a Cheshire cat who just caught a particularly good canary. I just shrugged and turned away from him, reluctantly pulling his jacket tighter around me. I didn't like to seem weak, but really, I was freezing. I glanced around and realised that Dimitri was watching us from the front of the crowd of guardians and fire using Moroi. His face was slightly contorted. Yeah, he had seen Adrian's gesture. I tuned out Dimitri's slightly hurt, slightly jealous expression and focused on my mother, Janine Hathaway, the original badass guardian.

Janine was addressing the group at large. "Everyone knows the drill, in and out as fast as we can. We know they will probably have lines of Strigoi stationed around the place in question. There will also be guards inside the room where Mr. Ozera and Mr. Zeklos are being held. I was informed recently this morning by Adrian Ivashkov that the two captives are in separate rooms," a murmur ran through the mass of guardians. People were turning around to find Adrian. He shrank back, not liking the attention. Obviously everyone was wondering how on earth Adrian knew this information. Janine cleared her throat, once again capturing the attention of the momentarily distracted crowd. "Once we land in Russia, Vasilisa Dragomir will then tell us where to go from there." No one questioned this. Everyone knew that the Strigoi had been in contact with the Dragomir Princess.

I was a little worried about how all this was going to go down. Obviously we would lose numbers, but I could only hope that it would be worth it. Usually, when a Moroi is taken by Strigoi, they are considered dead or awakened, but with the information that we had, knowing they were after Lissa and knowing that Jesse and Christian were alive, well, they decided that we would launch a rescue party.

"Come on little dhampir, time to get going," Adrian said quietly, nudging me in the direction of one of the SUVs. I only realised then that everyone had dispersed and were getting into the cars. Lissa grabbed my hand and we made our way to the front. I stopped in front of Dimitri.

"Where to Comrade?" I asked. Dimitri didn't answer at first. He was looking just behind me at something intently. I frowned then remembered that Adrian's hand was still on the small of my back. I took a step forward, just out of his reach. Dimitri's expression calmed. "You two," – he pointed to Lissa and me - "Are coming with me in that car at the back. And you, Mr. Ivashkov are in that one being driven by Guardian Petrov." Dimitri said bluntly to Adrian. I shot him a warning glare that said _be nice!_ He just grimaced. I knew Adrian wasn't fazed by Dimitri's hostility toward him. Nothing much fazed Adrian. Adrian saluted Dimitri, hugged me, lightly punched Lissa on the arm, then departed with a cheerful; "Cya on the plane!"

"Okay, are we going soon?" Lissa asked nervously. She had been a jumble of nerves ever since she came to wake me up this morning. A lot was riding on what happened today and she was understandably freaking out. I could feel her agitation seeping through the bond. I draped my arm around her and hugged her small frame. "It's going to be okay," I murmured in her ear as we followed Dimitri to the black SUV along with four other guardians from the royal court. Lissa just nodded in response.

Once settled in the car beside Lissa and just behind Dimitri who was driving, I allowed myself to relax a little. The airport was a little over two hours away and I decided that getting some sleep would be an okay idea.

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I was jolted awake when the car stopped at the air port. I sat up and found my neck had a painful crick in it. I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck. I unbuckled my seat belt and grabbed my bag before getting out of the car. We were one of the last to arrive, I realised.

We made our way to the private plane terminal. The perk of taking a private plane is that it means no customs check for me! On our way we passed a McDonalds and my stomach growled. Dimitri looked at me, amused then slipped away and came back with a double cheese burger, two large fries and a large coke. Ahh, how well he knows me. I grinned. "Thanks Comrade. Chip?" I offered him one of my fries. He chuckled and shook his head causing a strand of his shoulder length hair to come lose and fall into his eyes. Dimitri brushed it back.

"No thank you, Roza." I shrugged. More for me then.

We made our way out onto the tarmac and then up the stair and onto the smallish plane. There was nothing to do now but wait out the long flight to Moscow.

About three hours into the flight, Lissa's phone started to tone. She froze before reaching into her bag to retrieve it. She looked frightened as she glanced that the number. 'Private' flashed across it. "It's them," she whispered. I felt her fear escalate. She composed her face, and slid the bar across to answer her iPhone. "Hello?" she spoke calmly into the phone. Although she appeared content on the outside, on this inside was a completely different story. I could almost hear her heartbeat thumping audibly in her chest. I could only hear one end of the conversation, but it was enough.

"I- no, of course not. No one else is coming with me. I wouldn't risk anyone else's lives." She said indignantly. If I didn't know better, I would think she was actually telling the truth, she was that convincing when she said that she was alone. "About another ten hours," she said. I assumed they had asked her how long until her flight landed.

Dimitri, who was sitting across from us, was watching Lissa intently. _Them? _He mouthed. I nodded by way of an answer. His body was rigid and ready for attack.

Lissa finished up her conversation and hung up. She let out a huge sigh, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose like she had a headache. "Are you alright?" I asked concern obvious in my voice.

"Mmmm, just..." she trailed off.

"Just...?" I prompted.

Lissa slowly opened her eyes, showing her brilliant green eyes. "Scared, frustrated, annoyed, tired," she rattled off, slumping back in her seat. "And, I feel helpless."

"Lissa, what we're doing _is _helping," I said fiercely. She just frowned, but stayed quiet. I left her and got up to sit next to Dimitri. Many of the guardians were asleep, resting up before the fight was to happen.

I growled in frustration as I sat down. "What's wrong Rose?" Dimitri asked softly.

"Lissa. She doesn't realise how much she is helping with this."

"Relaz, Roza. Try and sleep. I'll wake you an hour before we land." Dimitri pulled me against him and hugged me tightly, my back pressed against his hard chest. His hands rested on my torso, fingers interlocked. "Sleep Roza," he murmured and I suddenly found myself ridiculously tired. I fell into a deep slumber wrapped in my Russian badass lover's arms.

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**I was going to put the actual fight in this chapter, but I wanted to update and if I had continued, I probably wouldn't have an update for you for another week or so. Sorry, if you were looking forward to it. But, it will definitely be the next chapter. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: the usual.**

Chapter 18.

Our private aeroplane landed at Moscow airport in Russia just as the bright orange sun was beginning to set over the golden horizon. Dusk was approaching fast, which in turn brought along night fall, increasing the risk of Strigoi attacks. Our plan was to lay low over night and the approach the Strigoi house at sunrise tomorrow morning, making it slightly safer for us whilst we went in for the fight. Strigoi couldn't go into the sunlight, meaning that being outside would be our safe base. I knew that waiting out the night, knowing that every moment that passed could potentially be bringing Christian closer to death, would be the longest night I had ever been forced to endure.

The guardians had booked a hotel – obviously there were too many of us for the hotel to accommodate and since there was no way we would split up and go to different hotels – they had only booked for the Moroi and for those guardians who hadn't slept or gotten enough sleep in the pass few hours and needed to re-cooperate before we went to rescue Christian and Jesse. Dimitri was one of those who needed to rest up. He had dark purple, almost black, circles under his bottomless chocolate brown eyes and literally looked like a zombie. I shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Didn't you sleep at all on the plane, Comrade?" I asked him dryly when we arrived at a modest looking two story hotel. Dimitri just shook his head as I jumped out onto the ground behind him and followed him into the hotel lobby to check in.

Lissa, Adrian and I were sharing a double room whilst Dimitri and those other sleep deprived guardians each received their own rooms. Dimitri watched me with hawk like eyes as I unlocked the room door with Adrian standing behind me.

"Rose?" he called. I turned to him. Dimitri motioned with his hand, indicating that he wanted me to go to him. "Come here for a second?"

I hesitated for a moment. Adrian bent down and whispered in my ear, his lips brushing my neck lightly. "Go to your Russian cradle snatcher, Little Dhampir."

I slapped him across the back of the head whilst attempting to hide the smile that threatened to escape my lips. I crossed the hall to Dimitri's room and followed him inside.

I looked around the room. It was simple, but still nice. It had high ceilings, soft squishy carpet in a sort of creamy mocha colour, a small one person kitchen, a bathroom to the left of the kitchen, a small couch with a reasonable sized television and another room leading off the lounge room into what I assumed was the bedroom.

I was about to comment to Dimitri that the room was nice, when he suddenly caught me off guard by shoving me up against the wall, crushing his lips to mine in the process. The kiss was heat filled and oh so passionate. I felt like I was about to spontaneously combust from the heat that was begging to reach boiling point in my stomach. Dimitri pressed me even harder against the wall, if that was even possible and brought his lean muscled body closer to mine. I pulled away from the kiss of a life time, gasping for a much needed burst of oxygen into my straining lungs. Dimitri, apparently not needing any air, simply moved his hot mouth to my neck, leaving sensual open mouthed kisses along to my collar bone and back up to the hollow behind my ear. I moaned quietly as I laced my finger into his soft silky hair and pulled his mouth back to mine. But before I got it there, he pulled back, staring into my eyes for what felt like an eternity. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took.

"Roza." He murmured. I made to kiss him again, but the hand on my shoulder held me back.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a childish pout.

Dimitri merely smiled and pecked me on the lips. "Later," he whispered. "We both need to rest and you need to get back to Lissa before she realises that you've been in here for a while." He leaned down, kissed me slowly and softly for a brief moment, then lightly pushed me toward the door.

Back in my own room, I found Lissa sitting on the couch, Adrian lounging on the bed with the television on and... "Who's that?" I asked pointing to a girl sitting stiffly on a white love seat by the window, furthest from my friends.

Lissa shot me a look. "Rose, don't point, it's rude," she hissed. "And to answer your question, this is Sydney Sage."

Sydney looked a little older than me and Lissa with short hair and a golden lily tattoo glistening on her cheek. She was dressed in simple black pants and a white top with a vest. Despite the simplicity of her outfit, she managed to make it look expensive and designer. It looked great on her slender frame. The thing that surprised me was that she was clearly human.

"Hey," I greeted her, holding out my hand to her with a big smile. "I'm Rose Hathaway." Sydney gingerly took my hand in her small one and then let go quickly. I frowned. Okay then. "Nice tattoo." I commented, gesturing to her cheek. Her hand went up to lightly touch the lily.

"Thanks," she muttered.

I gave Lissa a questioning look. "Sydney is an alchemist, Rose," Lissa explained. My puzzled expression hadn't gone with her explanation. She elaborated. "Alchemists are humans who work in the Moroi world, well, undercover in the Moroi world. They clean up staked Strigoi in populated areas, and essentially what they want to do is protect humans from us. Basically, they keep the secret of the existence of vampires from the human world." Judging from Sydney's posture, I gathered that she wasn't a big fan of us.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sydney," I gave her a genuine smile.

"You too," she said quietly. She then opened her bag, pulled out a thick novel and turned to her page. She became quiet and totally absorbed in the book.

"Hey Liss, wanna go for a walk?" I asked her. She glanced up from the television.

"Sure."

We headed out the door and went upstairs. There was a pool up there and since it was heated, I sat down on the side, rolled up my jeans and dipped my feet in the warm water. Lissa followed suit.

"So, what exactly is that Sydney chick doing here?" I asked.

"She's here to help. She knows about the Strigoi house we're looking for. She says a few humans hang around outside it during the day. Armed humans. Obviously these Strigoi have humans working for them as well. Just like with the Badica attack," she said grimly. "Sydney will be able to dispose of the Strigoi bodies when we get out," she didn't have to add _if we get out_. I could hear it ringing loud and clear in her thoughts. "She's really just here to help with collateral damage control."

"Oh, I see." I said. "Does she have a problem with us?" I asked casually.

Lissa smiled. "You noticed that?" I nodded. "Well, alchemist don't really like us, and by us, I mean all of us. Moroi, dhampir and Strigoi alike. Strigoi for obvious reasons. Moroi because we drink from humans and dhampirs, well I assume it's because you originally came from Moroi and human relationships. Sort of, the unnatural off-spring." Lissa let out a small giggle. She found Sydney's prejudice against our races pretty ridiculous. Although she did understand her hating of Strigoi. We all hated Strigoi. It was just something that came naturally to us. They killed Moroi and dhampirs. They were attempting to rid us all of the world.

"Huh," I mused. "Fair enough. Hey, what's with the tattoo on her cheek?"

"That's the tattoo that all alchemists have. It's infused with Moroi blood and a little bit of compulsion to make sure our secret is kept at all times. It's quite pretty, don't you think?"

I snorted. "Sure, if you like flowers." I muttered. Lissa just rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it's getting late. We should go eat and get some rest. Apparently we have to be up at 3am. The sun rises at around 6am." I sighed and got up. Great, another early morning. But it was something that had to be done.

I followed Lissa back down the stairs and back to our room. Adrian was asleep on the bed, Sydney hadn't moved from her position on the love seat and was still reading her book. I collapsed on the bed next to Adrian, not worrying about waking him. Adrian was the soundest sleep I had ever met and sober or drunk, he always slept like a baby.

I fell asleep lying next to him, awaiting the morning.

I groaned when Lissa shook me awake. "Come on, Rose, rise and shine." She left me and moved around to the other side of the bed to wake Adrian who looked like he was knocked out. I swear to god that kid hadn't moved for hours!

Lissa was already dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt and sneakers. Sydney came out of the bathroom dressed in similar clothes she had on last night, only now she wore a purple mini coat. I couldn't help admiring how good her sense of style was.

"Morning," I said as I slid out of bed, stifling a yawn. Even though in about five minutes I would be totally awake, right now, I hated everyone for waking me up. I grumbled as I walked into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water woke me up pretty quickly and soon I was ready to go. I dressed exactly like Lissa; jeans and a t-shirt and went back into the bedroom. Lissa was dolling out doughnuts to everyone and I grabbed three chocolate glazed ones and stuffed them down, then washed that down with a scalding hot coffee.

"Ready to go?" I asked everyone. Adrian was standing by the door looking only slightly awake.

"I was with Christian last night," he said sleepily. I smirked at the sexual meaning that sentence could hold. He shot me a dirty look. "You know what I mean, Little Dhampir. I spoke to him. He seemed to be worse than when I spoke to him the night before last. More... defeated. He looked pretty beaten up and definitely blood deprived." Lissa shuddered at the horrible words Adrian spoke.

"We'll get him, Liss. Don't worry." She just nodded.

We walked down stairs in silence. Dimitri met us at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby. "Good morning, Rose," he said quietly after my friends had passed through the door and out onto the still darkened street. "Sleep well?" he asked, glancing around before kissing me lightly on the fore-head.

"Not too bad, you?" I asked. He looked well rested, more alert and alive. Like a gladiator ready to take on his newest challenger. He nodded _yes._

_2 hours later_.

The cars all stopped two streets away from the Strigoi house. Because the sun was now beginning to rise and light up the quiet streets, any Strigoi who were hanging around outside would now be holed up in the house.

Sydney had provided the guardians with a floor map of the house that she had gotten from a real estate agent nearby. Apparently this house had just recently been sold. And obviously bought by the Strigoi now holding hostages.

I had to admit, the house was perfect for someone wanting to conceal people. It was three stories high along with a basement which had no windows. We would enter through the side door. We assumed there would be lines of Strigoi stationed throughout the house. They knew Lissa was coming, and even though she had told them she was alone, they most likely suspected that the last Dragomir would not come alone into the fray of Strigoi. They weren't stupid.

The plan was to go into the house in groups of five or six. I was part of the second group along with Dimitri, Alberta and two other guardians from the royal court. My mother was going in as the leader of the first group. She had a grim, determined expression on her face.

As we approached the house – we had left two other groups behind, they would come in a few minutes – Janine stopped, turned to face me and hugged me. She pulled back hastily and said gruffly; "Be safe." She then faced the house again and proceeded to jump the fence surrounding the property. The rest of her group followed close behind. My group – led by Dimitri – would follow in exactly one minute. Dimitri quickly pulled me around the side of the neighbouring house and kissed me roughly for a second before pulling away.

"Don't do anything stupid, Roza. I love you." I allowed myself a moment of happiness before I returned to my guardian mode – composed and determined.

"I love you." I whispered. Dimitri turned on his heel and returned back to the others. No one suspected that we had just had a hot make out session.

"Ready everyone?" Dimitri asked and, not waiting for an answer, proceeded to jump the fence. One of the royal guardians gave me a boost up onto the fence and Dimitri helped me down on the other side. The others followed quickly.

I heard a noise from within the house and knew my mother's group had run into Strigoi already. We went through the same way the others had gone in – a window they had smashed out – and came face to face with four Strigoi straight away. Nausea swept over me, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the issue at hand.

A blonde female, either human or dhampir before being turned, lunged for me, probably taking me for the weakest threat. She messed with the wrong girl. I elbowed her in the face and she stumbled. A new one, I assumed. I knocked her back again and shoved my stake through her heart. She fell with a _thud _onto the floorboards. I ripped my stake out and looked around for the next one. Dimitri looked like he was doing fine; two bodies lay in front of him.

I felt a Strigoi take a swipe at me from behind. Attacking from behind was weak and a dirty play. "Dirty bastard," I muttered spinning around to face my attacker. A tall male Strigoi, clearly Moroi. He gave me a fang filled smile as his eyes glowed red. This one was not going to be as easy as the last one. We began a sort of dance, he lunged, I dodged, I lunged and he dodged. On it went. Finally, _finally _I began to gain the upper hand. He was getting distracted with all the people flooding into the house. The rest had joined us and my mother's group had even managed to get into the next room – getting closer to Christian. The big Strigoi slipped up in his defence allowing me to get through and pierce his heart.

I allowed myself a second to look around at the dead bodies littering the floor. I did a quick count, seven Strigoi bodies and two guardians. My stomach lurched when I saw the guardians. No one I knew, but still, they were my own people. We were ahead from what I could tell.

"Rose!" Dimitri called to me from the door into the next room. "Let's go!" I made a bee-line for the door and went through in front of him. That room had pretty much been taken care of. There was only one other guardian left fighting a Strigoi. The others had proceeded. Once again we outnumbered the Strigoi. There were more Strigoi bodies than guardians.

On and on it went, every time we passed into a new room, we were met with new challenges. At one point Dimitri had to save my ass because I got distracted when I heard a scream from my mother and almost lost my own battle when the Strigoi I had been fighting leaned in, fangs bared ready to bite into my flesh. Dimitri had seen this and shoved me aside and pushed his stake through to hit the target.

From what I could remember about the floor plan Sydney had shown us, we were nearing the stairs where we would be able to go down and scout out the place for Christian. Screams and death surrounded me. I didn't want to think about how many we had lost, the thought made me depressed. Guardian numbers were already small. We could hardly afford to lose many. _They come first._ The saying had been beaten into me from when I was a small child, but sometimes, like when I saw the death of my would have been colleagues, I just wasn't sure that the Moroi were always the main priority. Why weren't our lives important too? I pushed the thought aside. I was here to fight and rescue one of my friends. I had to focus. "Focus Rose, focus." I muttered under my breath.

Entering the front room that led to a stair case, I was once again face with a Strigoi. This one was small and young. She looked no older than about seventeen and probably once a dhampir. I felt a pang of sympathy. No young girl should have that sort of fate. Hell, _no one _should have that fate, but unfortunately it was inevitable sometimes. I made myself focus on the fact that she was a Strigoi and no longer a dhampir. I went into the fight like I would any other Strigoi. I swung my fist up and hit her in the neck. She blanched and fell back a couple of paces. I advanced. Kicking out with my feet, I swept her feet out from under her. She fell. I swiftly brought my right hand forward and plunged my stake into her chest effortlessly.

The room was now quiet and I realised everyone had gone down the stairs into the basement. I ran. I could feel myself start to get tired, but I soldiered on like the ninja I was. I met one Strigoi on the stairs. A man. Honing my purely awesome ninja skills, I took him down, shoving his body out of the way of the stairs so I could keep going.

At the bottom of the stairs, there were three guardians in a hot battle. They were doing well enough that I was able to slip past and run to the closest door. I burst in. Empty. I vacated that room and made for the open door at the end of the long corridor. Only when I reached it did I realise that the room was on fire. Strigoi were screaming in agony and falling one by one. Dimitri was pressed up against the wall, avoiding the flames, but oddly enough they seemed to be very controlled. I looked around for the source of the fire. Jesse and Christian were against the back wall controlling the fire. Why hadn't I thought of fire? And, more importantly, why hadn't Christian or Jesse thought of using fire before? I shook it off, I would ask them later.

A Strigoi came to a halt near the door where I stood. He had been trying to escape the mounting flames. It didn't bother me where he went. Either way, it was going to end in his death. He could choose being burnt to a crisp in the most painful way ever or I could end it quickly for him with my stake. Either one, I wasn't fazed. He chose me. He launched his body at me. He was much bigger and faster, but I had skill he didn't, plus I had a stake. It felt like a never ending battle and I started to wish he had chosen the fire. It would have been easier. His hand came at me and I ended up with a nasty punch to my cheek. There would be a bruise there soon. But that was the least of my worries. I shot out with my stake, swiping it across his face. He screamed in anguish. I swiped again, this time getting him in the chest. I shoved all my weight behind the silver and pierced his dead, un-beating heart.

It was over. The fire was extinguished and the results lay in front of us. Bodies, burnt beyond recognition. The only way we would find out if we lost any in that fire would be to count our dead and then work out who was missing. I hoped we didn't lose any in the fire.

Christian was passed out on the floor and Jesse looked close to it as well. I hurried over to Christian's unmoving body. I felt his wrist and neck for a pulse. I was relieved to feel the steady _thud. _He was alive.

"Christian," I said hoarsely. I could feel the smoke in my lungs and throat. It felt dry and raspy, like sandpaper. I cleared my throat. "Christian!" I said louder and shook his body at the same time. His hand twitched and his eyes fluttered open, revealing the brilliant blue.

"Rose," he whispered the coughed.

"Don't talk." I instructed. I knew he probably wouldn't be able to get up, what with having no blood for over a week and that he had just used a great amount of energy. I did the only thing I could think of to help. Throwing my hair back over my shoulder, I exposed my neck. "Drink." I said firmly, indicating that he wasn't to argue. He looked wary.

"Rose..." Christian began, but I cut him off with a death glare. Out the corner of my eye I could see Dimitri helping Jesse up. He averted his eyes from me. Christian leaned in and his fangs cut deep into my flesh. I cried out a little in pain at first then it quickly turned to a moan as the endorphins rushed through my body. It was over quickly though and I instantly missed the pleasure the bite brought with it.

I looked around the room and saw that all the Strigoi bodies were being brought into this room. Sydney had also arrived with Lissa and Adrian behind her. Lissa shrieked and ran across the room and threw herself at Christian. I got up and moved away to let them have some sort of reunion. I stood next to Dimitri.

"How many?" I asked.

"Eighteen." he said grimly. I gasped.

"And ours?"

"We lost seven." That was a huge blow.

Suddenly an ear splitting scream filled the house. Sydney. She had left the room about a minute ago to get her bag. I flew up the stairs. I could hear Dimitri and Adrian behind me. "SYDNEY?" I called. I saw her then in the lounge room. A Strigoi leaning over her, his teeth buried in her neck. I felt sick. We weren't quick enough. As soon as the Strigoi saw us, he pulled back and snapped Sydney's neck with a sharp twist of his hands. Three guardians were on his straight away. He was dead within a second. I noticed then that Adrian was leaning over Sydney's limp, lifeless body. I looked around him and saw that he had his hand out, hovering over her chest... her heart. There was a look of deep concentration on his face.

**AN. This chapter took me all day to write. I was sick today so I didn't go to school. But it's now 11:30pm and I feel exhausted and I have to be up at 7am tomorrow. So help me god. But, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ! it's almost 4000 words! I feel so proud of myself :)**

**Reviews !**

**xxB.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Loved the reviews from the last chapter ! can we try for more this time? Like, say, maybe 10? *looks with pleading, irresistible eyes.* I'll make it worth your while :) the more reviews the faster I update because I cant express strongly enough how much a little review encourages and motivates me to find the time to write !**

**Disclaimer: you know the drill. Richelle Mead owns. **

**And on with chapter 19. **

Chapter 19.

"Adrian..." I murmured ever so quietly. So quietly in fact that I'm not sure Adrian would actually have had a chance of hearing me. The rest of the guardians burst into the large entrance hall at that moment. Lissa came in last, a limping and staggering Christian at her side. She gasped audibly when the site unfolded before her eyes. She looked first at the body of the last Strigoi laying not a foot away from her, and then her brilliant green eyed gaze swivelled around until it finally rested on Sydney's lifeless, pale and unmoving form crumpled with defeat laying on the plush once creamy coloured carpet that was now crusted with dried innocent crimson blood. Adrian was still leaning over the alchemist's body.

I took a small tentative step toward the pair, preparing myself to pull the Moroi back when Lissa's angelic voice rang throughout the room, causing everyone except Adrian to jump and turn to face the source of the unexpected sound. "NO!" she shouted firmly. Through the bond I could feel her determination and... Understanding? I searched deeper for a meaning to her feelings. I found what I was looking for. She understood what it was like to want to bring someone back. But Adrian didn't know Sydney... I filed the thought away for later. There were more pressing issues to attend to at the moment, what with a dead alchemist and my spirit using friend attempting to bring her back from the dead. _I live in a crazy world_, I thought grimly.

"Lissa, he's not strong enough to do this. He can't bring her back. The power brought on by spirit could destroy him. You of all people should know that." I said meaningfully. "He can't do it."

Lissa shook her head, her platinum blood hair swinging back and forth. "He _can_ do it. He is strong enough. I promise, he will be able to do this. He is so much stronger than you think. Look for yourself." I could feel a tug through the bond. She wanted me to watch this through her eyes. I let my mental walls down and allowed my mind to faze into her head. What I saw before my - her - eyes shocked me beyond belief. Being a spirit user, Adrian could see a person's aura. An aura can tell you how a person is feeling at that particular time and can even tell you if that person is in any way lying to you. Adrian had always said that when someone is feeling happy and content, their aura would glow a beautiful vibrant golden colour. Unfortunately no matter how hard and often she practises and practises along with Adrian's unrelenting help and support, Lissa had never been able to grasp this particular power that spirit users had. Until now that is.

As I watched the scene through my best friend's eyes, Lissa managed to conjure up an aura around Adrian and Sydney's bodies. of course Sydney's aura was dull, dark and relentlessly depressing to watch. It was the colour of death. I shivered and focused on Adrian's aura. His was the one that surprised me more than anything. There was a brilliant glistening golden colour surrounding him. And the feelings that both Lissa and I could feel radiating off of him were that of power and undying determination. I realised then that Lissa had definitely been right about Adrian. Adrian _was _going to be strong enough to bring the alchemist back from the clutches of death and the other realm.

_Minutes later._

Minutes passed but for all I knew it could have been hours. It definitely felt like hours. The mass of people in the room were deadly silent as they watched on in complete and utter awe. They had never seen any actual proof to the theory of spirit. Most people in this room knew about the bond that Lissa and I shared and how it had come to be. They knew I was shadow kissed but I highly doubted that any of the guardians had ever imagined that they would one day get to witness something this spectacular and amazing. I certainly never thought I would see how I was brought back from the dead. Up until a few months ago when it got out about the bond, bringing somebody back from the dead using some sort of long forgotten Moroi power was unimaginable and even possibly laughable.

More time passed us by and I stayed in Lissa's head just to keep watch over Adrian. I was worried about what consequences would come from him using so much spirit induced power. Lissa had been on medication - anti depressants - for some time because of the darkness brought upon her from using spirit. I worried over the fact that it would undoubtedly one day happen to the carefree and happy go lucky Lord Adrian Ivashkov. I didn't want that for him anymore than I wanted to for Lissa. I began to suspect that Adrian wouldn't be successful after all. _He is not strong enough. This is going to destroy him_. The words flashed through my mind. I hoped I was wrong about it. I wanted Sydney to come back. She didn't deserve to have her life violently ripped away from her by the thing she sought to destroy.

Lissa and I saw the change in Sydney's form at exactly the same time. Obviously no one else in the room could see the change we were seeing. So slowly, ever so slowly, Sydney's aura started to change colour, lightening. The murky grey colour that surrounded her a few seconds ago was now becoming a bluish colour. We continued to watch as Adrian used spirit to feed life back into Sydney's body – into her un-beating, still heart. I pulled myself out of Lissa's head and back into my own body so I could say I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes and not through the eyes of someone else, even if that someone else could see things I could not. I was confident that Adrian would be okay for now, but I knew that later he would be exhausted mentally and physically and would most likely take days, possibly weeks to recover from this abuse of his powers. But all that mattered for the time being was that he _had _been strong enough, he _had _found the strength from somewhere within himself to pull Sydney back into the living human world where she belonged.

Watching Sydney as intently as I was, I was able to catch the small movement. The hand that lay beside her body twitched ever so slightly that any human would not have seen the movement. But with my enhanced eye site and my training as a guardian to see things that other would not be able to see, I saw the almost inconspicuous move that she made. All the guardians saw this tremble and they instinctively moved toward her, like she was some sort of threat.

I shifted to Lissa's side and murmured in her ear; "Did it take this long for me to... come back?" I still had a little bit of trouble talking about my 'death' aloud.

Lissa nodded. "It took a while, I think. I don't know, I don't really remember all that much about it all. It seemed to happen in, like, slow motion or something. I was disorientated and stressed at the time, so I don't really know for sure. But, I think it took a while. Maybe not quite this long because I'm stronger when it comes to healing that Adrian is."

After what seemed like forever, Adrian sat back on his heels and wiped his hand across his fore head, swiping the sweat away.

_Adrian's POV. _

I focused all my last dredges of energy into Sydney's body before I just couldn't do it anymore. But I knew that what I had done was enough. I had seen the movement in her hand and the slow rise and fall of her chest. I sat back on my heels and wiped the sweat away with the back of my hand. I never realised how much energy and strength it took to heal a person. I had only ever been able to heel minor cuts and scratches. Never even a broken bone and now I had brought someone I hardly knew back from the dead.

There was something about this exquisite girl, the moment I saw her walk into our hotel room yesterday I knew that she was different. I don't mean different in the way that she is a human that knows about the existence of vampires, I mean it in the way that she is different from any other girl I had ever known. Even Rose. Sydney was beautiful in her own way. She was special and as soon as I saw she was dying, I knew I couldn't let her go. I only hoped that she wouldn't hate me for the bond thing that would unquestionably come with the healing. Like with Rose and Lissa. Sydney didn't like vampires. What were my chances that she wouldn't hate me forever for bringing her back and being bonded to me? Only time would tell.

I watched her, zoning out everyone in the room who I knew were watching her just as absorbedly as I was. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open revealing clear beautiful endlessly deep brown eyes. I watched her warily as she slowly sat up to many gasps of shock from our audience.

"Sydney...?" I spoke hesitantly kind of worried she would lash out or start to panic. Her brown eyes found my green ones.

"What... what happened?" she asked slightly incoherently.

"You were, um, attacked."

"Attacked?" she looked thoughtful. And then said; "That Strigoi... but, he... he grabbed my neck. He would have broken it." Her hand slowly went to her neck and she moved her head as though she were checking for an pain.

"What happened?" Sydney asked in a firm; don't give me any bullshit voice.

I decided to say it right then. No beating about the bush. Get it all out. "The Strigoi broke your neck and then I healed you. Like Lissa did for Rose." I thought fleetingly about telling her that we would be bonded but decided to wait until the initial shock of being brought back from the dead had worn off first. Sydney gasped loudly.

"What?"

"We're _bonded_?" she asked incredulously. "I... I heard your voice, in my head." She pointed to her head as if to add emphasis to her words.

"Please, don't hate me," I pleaded. "I didn't want you to die. It wasn't right for you to suffer while doing something for us. For the people you were born to hate."

"I need some time alone." Was all she said as she got up and walked out the door. I made to follow her, but Rose's voice made me halt.

"Adrian, leave her for now." she said softly. "Let her be alone. It's what she wants. Talk to her later, once she has calmed down and accepted the fact that she will be hearing your thoughts for the rest of her life." She smirked. "Poor girl."

**Remember, we're aiming for 10 reviews this chapter and I hope to have an update for you by next week sometime. From now on, most likely 1 update a week. Possibly 2 if I have the time. **

**OH, AND ANYONE WHO LIVES IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRAILIA! Who's going to Bruno Mars on April 16 ? anyone anywhere else going? **

**Jamming to The Lazy song while I wrote this chapter ;) **

**B. xx**


	20. Chapter 20

**Been a long ass time since I updated. Sorrrrry. Hopefully this chapter will make it all better.**

**Note: please read the authors note at the end.**

**Chapter 20.**

Sydney returned to the Strigoi house about ten minutes after she walked out. She didn't say a thing as she walked back through the double French doors and into the entrance hall. She simply went about her work, cleaning up the mass of Strigoi bodies while the rest of us were checked for injuries. After the few minor cuts and scratches I had obtained throughout the epic battle were cleaned and bandaged, Dimitri and I walked outside with the excuse of getting some fresh air. We really just needed some time together and thank god that we were still in one piece.

"You did so well, Roza." He murmured as he stroked my cheek. "I am so, so proud of you." My heart swelled and my cheeks flushed a warm red colour at the compliment he gave me. They were so rare, but when I did get them, I truly felt like I deserved to hear the love, affection, adoration and most importantly the pride that was evident in his voice. Dimitri leaned down and kissed me delicately and briefly before pulling me back with him toward the door. I didn't budge.

"Hey," I called. Dimitri turned to face me questioningly, doing that cool one-eyebrow thingy that I so coverted, but had never been able to achieve no matter how hard i tried. Sometimes life sucks. Bad.

"Yes?" he asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his perfectly shaped cupids bow, rose shaded lips. His lips were one of the best things about Dimitri, along with his gorgeous eyes, flawless body, silky smooth hair, perfectly sculptured biceps and of course his voice. I couldn't vouch for a certain part of the male anatomy having not actually seen it. _Hmmm, it would seem I have to change that soon, possibly in the near future. _

"I wasn't done kissing you yet." He gave me one of those infrequent, but extraordinary full smiles that lit up his entire face, causing a slightly mischievous glint to form in his brown eyes. He caught me off guard as he closed the couple of steps between us, capturing my face in his large, calloused hands. He stared into my eyes, before I grew tired of the no action thing and brought my mouth crashing down on his, which I might add is a great feat accomplished by me, considering his ungodly height and all. The world around us seemed to disappear and a bubble formed around us. It was as though no one else existed except for me and the love of my life. No scratch that last; Dimitri was the love of my existence. True, undeniable love wasn't something that was present amongst the living, but amongst the dead as well. I always believed that love went beyond the grave. It was something that could never be broken, especially not by distance or anything else for that matter. When I was around Dimitri, I felt like nothing could come between us, and I was dammed if I let being stuffed in a coffin and buried under tonnes of dirt come between us.

Dimitri's hand slipped around my body to rest on my lower back. My hands had a mind of their own, and seemed to have found their own way to Dimitri's head and wound into his silky hair. By now I was gasping for breath. Why was it whenever I was kissing Dimitri, I somehow forgot that I could actually breath through my nose instead of my mouth. But, my mind was too clouded with lust and hormones to think of such trivial things as breathing through my nose.

_Ahem. _

Dimitri and I jumped apart at the sound interrupting us. I whipped around and came face to face with something scarier than Satan himself. My mother, the infamous Janine Hathaway stood there, hands on her hips, red hair blowing in the slight breeze that filtered through the surrounding trees and a very strained and furious expression on her face. Yeah, she looked _pissed. _Wait, pissed wasn't the right adjective. She looked enraged, livid and terrifying as shit.

"What the _fuck _is going on here?" she asked, voice trembling with pent up rage. I knew she was angry, not just from her expression, but from her use of some vulgar language. I didn't often hear my mother swear. That was my specialty.

Instinctively I pushed Dimitri behind me in a defensive manoeuvre. It was something I would have done had there been a Strigoi standing in front of me while I was with a Moroi. It was a built in instinct that I always protect those around me from danger. And yeah, right now, I considered my mother a threat to Dimitri's wellbeing. Hell, I even considered her a threat to my own safety. But, she was my mother and therefore my duty to face her wrath.

"Oh um, hey mom." I said with a wave and a small, tentative smile. Her eyes simply narrowed even more, and I found myself cowering back into Dimitri's chest. I know, I can fight blood sucking undead vampires, but I can't introduce my new boyfriend to my mother. Real brave Rose. Well done. But hey, she was _Janine freaking Hathaway, _best guardian in living history. I had every right to be quaking in my boots so to speak. "Dimitri and I were just..." my voice trailed off when she took a step toward us. And that's when she started yelling.

Looking back, I honestly have freaking idea what the hell she said as she continued on her raging. I felt my anger reach boiling point when she pointed her finger at Dimitri and screeched; "Fuck you, you fucked up man whore. What? Can't get a slut your own age? Have to go after young innocent girls just to satisfy your need for sex?" Oh to hell with being scared of her. I was the furious one now. I pulled away from Dimitri who was trying to get a word in to no avail.

"STOP!" I yelled. My mother stopped mid word and looked at me, anger still ablaze in her eyes, so similar to my own. "You," I said pointing to Dimitri. "Get inside." He was about to protest so I stopped him before he could get a word in edge wise. "Go!" I said firmly. Dimitri reluctantly strode inside the house, leaving a wide berth around Janine as he went. I turned back to my mother. "You," I started. "You have _absolutely no _right to dictate what I do and who I see. You can't just waltz back into my life after seventeen years of virtually not seeing you and expect to have authority over what I do with my life. I won't let you do that. And you have no right to go around calling Dimitri inappropriate, vulgar and offensive names when you have no idea of the whole situation." I took a moment to take a deep, soothing breath and collect my thoughts. I was still trembling with anger.

"Then please, enlighten me of this 'situation', Rose."

"No, you don't get to have the privilege of knowing every fact in my life. You gave up that right when you dumped me on the door step of the school as soon as you could palm me off to someone else. Just so you could go back to work, your real baby."

I stormed off then, leaving my mother standing in the driveway of the house. I took off around the corner, and didn't stop running until I couldn't breathe anymore. But I was still _so _angry. I don't know where the anger came from. I walked over to a tall sycamore tree and punched my fists into the hard trunk. Once I started I couldn't stop. I just kept pounding into the tree, venting out my anger. I was in a haze of fury as I continually took out all those years of pent up anger at my mom out on the poor tree.

"ARRGGGGHH!" I screamed out in frustration beating my fists into the tree once again. The pain had become numb, and I didn't feel anything except bind rage. I was in a complete rage blackout.

I hadn't realised that I was not alone until I felt the strong arms circle around my waist and pull me back from the tree. I screamed and kicked at my captor until I heard his voice.

"Shhh, Roza. It's okay. Stop Rose. Don't be afraid. Shhh." I instantly stopped thrashing around and fell limp in his arms.

"I _hate _her." I said fervently through clenched teeth.

"Shh, Roza you don't hate her." Dimitri whispered.

"Do _not _tell me how I feel." I was surprised at the venom in my own voice. I had never spoken to Dimitri like that before. But it didn't faze him in the slightest. He just continued to hold me and run his fingers through my now knotted hair, tugging gently to smooth it out.

"Come on, we have to get back to the hotel. Everyone has gone." Dimitri took my hand in his, and I yelped a little at the stinging it caused. He looked down at my hands. My knuckles were ripped open and bloody, my nails torn and jagged. Blood slowly dripped to the ground. Dimitri swore loudly - in English for once. "Roza," he whispered taking me back into his arms.

"Let's get this cleaned up. I'm not sure how deep the cuts are, but you'll probably need stitches and your fingers will need to be bandaged." This time, instead of taking my hand, he scooped me into his arms in one fluid motion, holding me protectively against his warm body. I sighed and leaned my head into his chest.

**=x=**

The doctor applied the last of the bandages to my banged up hands and stepped back. I had needed three stitches in each knuckle and my nails had been filed back, disinfected and heavily bandaged to stop infection. But thankfully there was hardly any pain anymore. The doctor – Dr Trajovska – never asked me how it happened, but as she picked the bits of bark and twig from my hands, I realised she probably didn't need to ask to know exactly what I had done.

Dimitri took me back to the hotel. We parted in the hall, me heading to mine and Lissa's room and he off to his own suite. I opened the door to our room, and saw Lissa and Christian curled up together on the bed, legs entangled, he head on his chest, both fast asleep. I crept in, grabbed my bag and left, shutting the door with a soft _click_. I went to Dimitri's room and knocked lightly. He opened within a few seconds.

"Rose?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Lissa and Christian are asleep, and I thought I would leave them to be alone." I hesitated before asking my question. "Could I maybe stay here?" Dimitri's face split into a breathtaking smile as he stepped back allowing me to pass into his room. I dropped my bag to the floor and turned to face him.

No words were said as he pressed me against the nearest wall and crashed his lips to mine in a burning kiss not meant for innocent eyes. He moved us to the bed, laying me down gently under himself. Everywhere he touched me left a tingling feeling coursing throughout my overheated body. Dimitri tugged at the hem of my t-shirt and ever so slowly, pulled it up and over my head.

"So beautiful." He whispered, tracing his fingers over my toned stomach. I moaned shamelessly at his warm touch. I pulled his face back to mine, pushing my tongue past his soft lips. Our tongues began the age old dance for dominance over the other. As Dimitri's shirt came off, he pulled back breathing heavily.

"Roza, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked in a gentle voice. His voice was giving me the option, but his eyes betrayed his words. They were so full of lust and love that I could see it would kill him to stop now. I couldn't help but feel exactly the same.

"Dimitri," I breathed. "I have never been so sure of anything in my life." That was all he needed. He crushed me to him once again and more clothes started to come off. His hands travelled down my face, down the crevice between my breasts, across my stomach and came to rest at the waist of my jeans. With one hand he popped open the button and moved the zipper down tooth by tooth. I moaned in anticipation arching up to him.

Soon my jeans and his were strewn across the floor. My panties and bra followed suit, until only he was left in his boxers. "I believe you are _way _over dressed Comrade." I whispered, hooking my fingers in the band and sliding them down his hips.

Dimitri rolled us so he was underneath me and I was in complete control of the situation. I pulled him down on me, as we gave into our long fought off desire.

**So this will most likely be the second last chapter in this story. I may squeeze out one more in the aftermath of Dimitri and Rose finally being together and of course to check in with Christian and Jesse. **

**And tell me what you think of this: maybe a story following Sydney and Adrian? Perhaps? Let me know through reviews or pm me. **

**Review are better than having Dimitri make sweet, sweet love to you ;)**

**B. xx**


	21. Chapter 21

**So this is the last official chapter for Rose and Dimitri: The Forbidden Love. It's been a long and hard process writing this story, and I know it is far from perfect, but I was reading over it from start to finish, and I couldn't help but notice how much my writing style has improved since I started this months ago. **

**This chapter is almost 5000 words and it took me my whole Sunday to do. That homework I should have been doing? Yeah still in my bag. Oh well. Dimitri is more important than an education :)**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns this perfect little series and I thank her every single day for her wonderful creation of the perfect Russian god and our lovable Rose Hathaway. God I love you Richelle (L)**

_**Chapter 21.**_

Sex with Dimitri was everything I had ever wanted my first time to be like. Dimitri was _the_ most gentle lover. He handled me like I was more fragile than a spider web, always holding me and touching me with the lightest of pressure.

When we had both reached our peak, we lay beside each other, still touching. Dimitri wrapped his arms around my body and hugged me closer. "I love you." Dimitri said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I love _you_," I said with a kiss in his lips to seal my words. Sealed with a kiss.

**=x=**

"Come on Rose, we have to go. The plane is leaving in like, ten minutes." Dimitri said with a firm tug to my hand.

"Just a second," I insisted. I turned away from him to face the human girl at the counter. "So I'll have three large fries, two double cheese burgers, a quarter pounder - hold the pickles - and a jumbo coke." Dimitri sighed. The poor girl looked a little green as she put my order through. "I'm hungry." I said with a grin. She gave me a slightly disgusted look. From the look of her, I doubted very much whether she had ever actually touched a burger in her life. Clearly McDonald's was just a job to her. To me, it was my haven - my own personal God of sorts. If I worked here, there would never be any food for the customers.

A couple of minutes later she gave me the three bags with the Golden 'M' on the front and we headed to the terminal to get our plane back to Montana.

"Are you going to eat all that?" he asked sceptically, looking at the size of my body and then at the amount of food I was holding.

"Comrade, you would be surprised how much food I can consume and still have room for dessert."

"Oh, how I love a girl with an appetite." He leaned over and gave me a kiss on the top of my head.

"You calling me fat?" I asked with a shove to his side. He deflected it easily by playfully in the shoulder.

"Roza, you are the most perfect girl I have ever laid eyes on. Everything about you is perfect. And, you are most definitely _not _fat."

We caught up with the others and boarded the plane bound for Montana. I honestly couldn't wait to get home.

**=x=**

Stan's class felt like it was never going to end. Listening to him talk was just one of those things that could put me to sleep better than any lullaby could put a baby to sleep. He was just that boring. The room was hot and stuffy, which wasn't making it easy to keep my eye lids from drifting closed. A survey of the room told me that many others were feeling the same as I was. Eddie's head had just hit the table with a soft _thump,_ confirming my theory that every single person in this class was feeling the drowsy feeling that seemed to be more common in this class than in any other_._ As guardians in training, we had a lot of energy and were interested in the physical side of our education more so than the theory side of things. I let my own head come into contact the table as I slowly closed my eyes. If I wasn't careful, I would fall asleep, and once I was asleep, it was damn hard to get me to wake up again. Lissa once said it was like I had been in a coma for months. The minutes seemed to drag by. Even the ticks of the clock above the board at the front seemed far apart. Every time I looked to the clock, only five or ten minutes had passed when it felt like a billion years. I sighed and settled in for the long haul in this class. The only thing getting me through this was; 1: the fact that there were a limited number of them left with the term drawing to a close, and 2: lunch was next. I was famished. As if on cue my stomach grumbled. I ignored it a best I could and focused my eyes on the clock, hoping that if I watched it, it would somehow make it go a little bit faster. Forty minutes to go.

Suddenly I felt my stomach churn. _Oh shit. _I sat bold upright in my seat and attempted to settle my stomach to no avail. I stood up and bolted for the door with the sound of Stan calling my name in an aggravated tone.

"Rose!" I didn't need to turn around to know it was Dimitri following me. He had been in the class guarding at the back of the room. I ignored him as I pushed my way into the bathroom and rushed for the closest cubical. I had just enough time to lean over the bowl and empty the contents of my stomach. I felt large hands pull my hair back and a soothing Russian accented voice filled my head.

"Shh, it's okay Roza." he slowly rubbed circles into my back in a gentle motion. I groaned and leaned away from the toilet. I grabbed some toilet paper and wiped my mouth. Dimitri's hand came around to my forehead.

"You feel hot." He stated.

"No shit. I feel like Hell." I grumbled as I stood up and flushed the toilet. We had been back from Russia for almost four weeks now. Dimitri and I had agreed upon arriving back in America to put our relationship on hold until I graduated. I told Lissa about what happened in his room at the hotel as soon as we got back. To say she was shocked would be an understatement.

_Flashback. _

"_Hey Lissa," I called her as we made our way back into the school grounds. "I know you probably want to spend time with Christian, but could we talk first?" _

"_Uh, yeah sure Rose." She turned to Christian as we got out of the car. "I'll meet you in your room in a half hour." She whispered to him with a small kiss to his lips. They truly were the prefect couple and I couldn't have been happier for them._

_Dimitri came up behind me. "Are you going to tell her?" he asked._

_I nodded. "I have to tell her. I tell her everything. I can't keep a secret like this from my best friend." _

_He nodded his head in understanding, a small smile playing around his lips. "I understand. I don't expect you to keep this from her. Just... please make sure this doesn't get around to anyone else. We can't afford to have this get back to the board. We would both be caught up in a scandal." I shushed him with a finger to his soft lips. _

"_I know. I think – and believe me, this is possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to say – but, I think we should put this on hold. You would get into huge trouble if someone found out, and you would lose your job. I won't let that happen to you. So, we wait until I graduate and then we go from there?" he kissed the finger that was still at his lips. _

"_I love you." Dimitri whispered against my hand. I understood that that was his way of agreeing, but I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew exactly how he felt. I didn't like this anymore than he did. Not one bit._

"_I love you too." I said turning away from him and headed back to the car where Lissa was still with Christian. No one had noticed mine and Dimitri's parting words. Everyone was busy with their own problems. _

"_You ready to go Liss?" I asked. She nodded and gave Christian one last kiss. I envied them. They could openly display their affection for each other. No one cared about their relationship. They were free to do as they wished. I hoped Dimitri and I could have that kind of relationship one day. One day. It seemed a long way off. _

"_What did you want to talk about Rose?" Lissa asked as I unlocked my door to my dorm. _

"_Well," I started, searching for the right words to get this across to her. I sat down on my bed and patted the spot next to me. Lissa sat. _

"_Rose, I have never seen you so lost for words. Just spit it out already." She joked lightly. _

"_Dimitriandislepttogether." I slurred in an indecipherable manner. Lissa looked at me quizzically. _

"_What?"_

_I took a deep breath. "Dimitri and I slept together." I said slowly, emphasising each word. I looked at her face. Her mouth had formed a perfect 'o' shape. Her brow was furrowed. _

"_When?" she finally asked._

"_Last night." I whispered. "After he took me to the medical clinic to get my hands stitched. When we got back I went to go to our room, but you were asleep with Christian. I didn't was to disturb you. So I went to Dimitri's room and it kind of just _happened_. It wasn't planned or anything, we just gave in." _

_I carefully gauged her reaction to my words. It was a lot to take in. Your best friend sleeping with her teacher and your soon to be guardian. Yeah, it was a bit of a bombshell. _

_Lissa took a deep breath and looked me squarely in the eyes, her pale green ones piercing my soul. "Do you love him?" _

"_Yes." I said without the shadow of a doubt. _

"_And how does he feel?" she was talking very calmly. I didn't know how to take it. Was she so mad she could hardly speak? Or was she actually okay with it? I reached out and touched the bond. I allowed her emotions to seep into me. I was careful though, if she was angry, then me doing this would then in turn lead me into a full on rage. The feelings I found were those of uncertainty. She didn't know how to feel. She was shocked and a little upset at me for not telling her how I felt sooner. _

"_He loves me too." I replied all the while still feeling the emotions she was emitting. With those words, she became decided on her feelings. Happy. Her face split into a huge grin and she threw her arms around me. _

"_I can't believe I never saw it before! I am such an _idiot." _She gushed. "But, now it all makes perfect sense. The way he looks at you, and the way you look at him. I must have been blind. Oh but I'm so happy for you!" there was still one question that she wanted to ask. _

"_Just ask it Lissa." I said impatiently. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_We had to keep it a secret. We couldn't have it get out." I explained the promise Dimitri and I had just made. _

"_But didn't you trust me?" _

"_Of course I did Liss. I trust you with my life. You're my sister. I was just, I don't know, afraid I guess. And I was worried that someone might overhear it. I know I should have told you ages ago. I'm sorry." _

"_It's okay. As long as you guys are happy, then it's fine with me." She flashed her dazzling smile. _

_After that we talked for ages until she finally left to go back to Christian. She parted with a kiss to my cheek and bidding me a goodnight. _

_End flashback_

"How are you feeling?" Dimitri asked me as we left the ladies room. I shrugged my shoulders up and down.

"Okay now. I need a drink though. It's been going on for a few days now. I keep getting sick, especially early to mid morning and sometimes even at night after I've eaten. Weird thing is after I throw up, I generally feel fine." Dimitri stopped walking and because my hand was in his, he jerked me to a stop as well. "What?" I asked.

"Okay, I know this is a personal question that I would never ask if I wasn't desperate." He paused. His face was contorted with a mixture of emotions. Shock, anger and finally uncertainty.

"Dimitri, you're scaring me. What is it?"

"When was your last, um, cycle?" he looked extremely uncomfortable and his cheeks were slowly pooling with blood. I had never seen Dimitri _blush. _Must be something he does when he is nervous.

"Excuse me?" I raised both my eyebrows as I couldn't do it with just one. "Why would you ask me that? It's a little private don't you think?"

"I know that, but please just answer me." He grabbed my shoulder roughly in his hand. I jerked away, and out of reach.

"I don't know, like..." I counted back the days. 34 days. _Shit. _I was late. Five days late, and I had never been late a day in my life. It was the one thing about me that was punctual, right on schedule. _Shit, shit, shit._ The uncontrollable hunger urges, the mood swings, the sleep deprivation and the vomiting. I felt my heart rate pick up. _No, this can't happen. I only slept with a _Dhampir. _It's impossible. _"I'm late." I whispered in fear.Spots started to appear in front of my eyes and I could distantly hear Dimitri's voice calling my name as I felt the world go black around me.

**=x=**

"Rose." I felt slight pressure to my hand. I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was still in the hall, only now I was on the floor with a drowsy feeling in my head. Dimitri was leaning over me, his face pinched in worry.

"Dimitri," I sat up and felt the world spin around me. "Ugh, what happened?" I groaned, putting my hands to my head.

"You passed out." He indicated the obvious.

"Dimitri," I whispered. "I think I might be – " I couldn't say that one word. I looked at him with pleading eyes. He finished the sentence for me, knowing exactly what I was going to say.

"Pregnant." I nodded. Suddenly his face turned into one of enragement.

"Who is he? Who did you sleep with? Was it too hard for you to wait for your graduation to be with me, huh? Couldn't stay away from the boys. Was it Jesse? Because I know you have no worries getting naked with him."

His words cut me. I felt the tears well up and spill over, cascading down my face. "I swear Dimitri, there's no one else. I promise. Only you. Only ever _you._ Dimitri, you are the only one I love, the only one I would ever give myself to. That's why I don't understand what's happening. It's impossible."

Dimitri stared at me, and quickly wiped away the tears glistening on his cheeks.

"What's all the yelling about?" a female voice laced with a heavy Russian accent asked me. Viktoria came up to us, looking between my tear streaked face and Dimitri's hurt, angry and confused one. "What happened?" she asked when no one answered her.

"Nothing." I said shortly. She took a step back, shocked at my harsh tone.

"Dimka?" she whispered to her brother. "Ty v poryadke? Chto sluchilosʹ? " (A/N; are you okay? What happened?)

"YA dumayu, chto Roza mozhet bytʹ beremennoĭ." I only understood my name thrown in there, but otherwise I had no idea what they were saying. Viktoria gasped and looked over at me.

"Okay, it's kind of rude for you to talk in Russian when I don't understand it." I said.

"Oh, sorry, Rose. Habit I guess." Viktoria said sincerely. "I was just asking what happened." Her gaze followed a trail up and down my body, resting for a minute on my mid section. My hand flew to my tummy.

"I'm guessing that he told you?" I asked in a tight voice. I was scared, yeah I'll admit that. I was shit scared. How could I be pregnant? Dhampirs can't procreate with each other. There was no way I could be pregnant to Dimitri, and I had never had sex with anyone else, so therefore I _couldn't _be pregnant. Viktoria nodded.

"Are you okay? You probably need to take a test..." she said carefully. I just nodded, stood up and walked away. I knew she was right, but I was scared.

**=x=**

**Dimitri's POV.**

I watched Rose walk around the corner and let out a sigh and slid down the wall, knees drawn up to my chest. My sister manoeuvred to my side and sat down next to me. She slipped her arm around my shoulders and I leaned against her.

"How did this happen?" she asked softly.

"How do you think it happened?" I asked sarcastically.

"Don't get angry at me. And I know how it happened, I'm not naive. What I'm asking is who is he?"

I sighed again. "She says she didn't sleep with anyone, but, how can that be true?" I suddenly realised that Viktoria didn't know that Rose and I had slept together. "Um, Rose and I, we um, slept together." It was an awkward topic to talk about with your little sister, but Viktoria and I had always been able to tell each other most things. Why should this be different?

"Oh, okay. But dhampirs can't have kids together."

"I realise that, Vik. But she says there was no one else." I dropped my head into my hands and squeezed my eyes shut trying to block out the images of her with another guy. It literally was a gut wrenching thought and it killed me.

"Look, there's nothing to panic about yet, we don't know for sure that she's pregnant. So we'll just go get her and get her to take a test." She made it sound so simple, but it wasn't. But instead of pointing out the flaws in her plan, I simply got up, helped Viktoria up and headed to Rose's room.

I knocked lightly on her door. "Rose?"

"What?" her voice sounded through the door. She sounded like she was crying. I turned to Viktoria.

"Wait here okay?" she nodded and pushed me to the door.

"Go give her a cuddle."

I opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind me. "Roza," I whispered going over to her. She was curled up on the bed, mascara filled tears running down her beautiful face. Her hands were clutching her stomach.

"I can't do this Dimitri. I _can't _be pregnant." I kicked off my shoes and lay down next to her, cuddling her body closer to mine. I ran my fingers through her knotted hair, hoping to soothe her.

"Roza," I tilted her head up with my finger. "You have to take a pregnancy test. It's the only way to know for sure. Either that or we go to the nurse and she can do it."

"Nooo, I won't go to the nurse. I'll take a normal test." She murmured. "I want Lissa." I nodded, sifted her off of me and stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To get Lissa, like you asked."

I opened the door and spoke to Vik who was still there. "Come in and sit with her while I go to find Lissa."

I rushed down the stairs and found a timetable on the senior's notice board. Lissa was in Advance Calculus.

When I knocked on the classroom door and entered, she looked up and saw me looking at her. Worry clouded her features instantly. "Excuse me," I addressed the teacher at the front of the class. "Could I please borrow Princess Dragomir?"

"Oh of course you can Guardian Belikov. Vasilisa, could you go with Guardian Belikov please."

"Grab your books, Princess." She scooped up her text books and hurried out the door.

"What happened? Is she okay?" it amazed me how she knew right away it was about Rose.

"I'll let Rose tell you what happened." I put my hand on her back to hurry her along.

"Rose!" Lissa burst into the room ahead of me. Rose was now in a sitting position, but still curled in a ball against Viktoria's side. Vik moved away for Lissa to take her place. She sat on the desk chair instead.

"Honey what happened?" Lissa looked into her eyes. If I wasn't mistaken, she was using a little bit of compulsion on Rose. She probably wasn't doing it intentionally though. It was part of her natural charm. People couldn't seem to resist her.

"I think I'm pregnant, Lissa." Rose hiccoughed and swiped the tears away. Lissa looked shocked as she glanced between me and her best friend.

"But, that's... not possible. Unless you..." she trailed off, looking at Rose tentatively.

"Oh for God sake, why does everyone think I slept with someone else?" she lashed out. "I'm not the slut everyone thinks I am. I don't sleep around. And I've only had sex _once." _Rose said with a point in my direction.

Lissa began to backtrack. "Oh babe, I know you aren't. I never thought you were. I'm just worried about you, that's all." She pressed a kiss to Rose's cheek.

I moved to her side, sitting down on the bed. "Okay, so we'll get this sorted. Take a test and then we will... go from there." I stroked her cheek. "Lissa," I said turning to face the Princess. "I know this is asking a lot of you, but could you go down to the Dr Olendzki's office and get a pregnancy test? You might have to use compulsion to make her forget. It depends on what Rose wants." Lissa nodded.

"Rose, do you want Dr Olendzki to know?" Lissa asked her. Rose simply shook her head 'no'. "Alrighty, I'll go. Viktoria come with me and keep a look out?" she asked with a pointed glance at Rose and I. Viktoria looked around, surprised.

"Oh, yeah. Sure I'll come." They left quickly, shutting the door, leaving Rose and I alone.

"Roza, love, are you alright?" I whispered bringing her to my lap and hugging her tightly. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head against my chest, over my heart. I felt her nod.

"I'm scared Dimitri." It worried me. Rose was hardly ever scared. Throw her into a fray of Strigoi, and she goes in all guns blazing without so much as a blink. But, faced with the prospect of becoming a mother however seemed to have her terrified. "I'm only seventeen and I was supposed to graduate and become a guardian and guard Lissa forever. That was my life. It was all mapped out for me from the moment I was born."

"Roza, we don't know for sure yet. And, even if you are, I'll be there for you. We can do this together. You can always guard Lissa afterwards, and you _will _graduate with the best score of your year. I'll make sure of it." I kissed her lips lightly. "I love you Krasivaya devushka. (A/N: Beautiful girl). As we waited for Lissa and Viktoria to return, I continued murmuring comforting words to her in Russian. It always calmed her when I spoke in my native language.

Lissa and Vikka soon returned with a pink box in hand. I took a deep breath a lifted Roza's head off my chest. "You ready to do this?" I asked looking deep into her eyes. They became hard and determined. She nodded. Lissa took her hand and led her into the adjacent bathroom. She closed the door with a _click_. I reclined on her bed. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Viktoria came and lay next to me.

"Eto budet horosho brata" (A/N, "It will be okay brother.") I didn't answer. I just lay there in silence.

It seemed like an eternity before Lissa finally opened the door and they came out, the little white stick in Roza's hand. She placed it on the night stand and then sat down. Lissa watched her watch tick. "How long?" I asked.

"Three minutes." She said tersely.

We all watched the white stick in anticipation. Finally Lissa picked it up and looked at it. Her lips formed a perfectly straight line as she studied it. She handed it to Rose who took a deep breath before looking at it. I leaned over her shoulder to get a closer. Two pink lines had appeared. "Positive." I whispered. Rose's shoulders shook as the tears came again. I wrapped my arms around her body and just held her.

"I don't know how it's possible," she said quietly some time later.

"I think we should go and see Dr Olendzki." I told her. Something had occurred to me, but I wanted to see the doctor before I put my theory to Rose. She hesitated. "We'll tell her it was someone else." She bit down on her bottom lip, in deep thought. Finally she looked up at me and bobbed her head up and down. I took her hand and led her down the stairs, Lissa and Viktoria tagging along behind.

Dr Olendzki was at her desk when the four of us walked in. She glanced up from something she was reading. She didn't seem surprised to see Rose. "Rose, what can I do for you?" Rose was a regular at the med clinic.

Rose held up the pregnancy test and pointed to the pink lines. Dr Olendzki gasped.

"I have something to ask you though." Rose said.

"Of course, go ahead."

"I only slept with a dhampir." Rose told her. Dr Olendzki's brow furrowed as she studied Rose. She shook her head.

"That test can't be right then, Miss Hathaway. You know dhampirs can't produce children together."

I stepped forward and addressed the doctor. "I was thinking... would it be possible that she can in fact procreate with a dhampir as she's shadowkissed?" Rose turned to me, surprise evident on her face.

Dr Olendzki cocked her head to the side, obviously thinking. "That could be a possibility, I guess. I've never known someone who is shadowkissed, so I can't say for sure."

"But think about it, Rose has been to the other side, the realm of the dead. She's meddled in the afterlife. What if that, somehow, along with the healing Lissa has done, has put life into her we never thought possible?"

"Hmmm, and you've never slept with anyone but a dhampir Miss Hathaway?"

Rose shook her head. "I've only ever slept with one person, and that was almost a month ago. And my menstrual cycle is five days late. Also, I've been sick every morning, eating much more than usual, unable to sleep properly. And, my body feels... weird."

"Well, we'll take some blood and run a test. Just to make sure." She took Rose over to a bed and had her lie down. I turned to Lissa and Viktoria.

"What do you think of my hypothesis?"

"I understand what you're saying, I've just never considered it before," Lissa said. "I suppose healing has given her a different life form that allows her to conceive with a dhampir." Viktoria nodded in agreement.

Dr Olendzki went away for a few minutes, then came back. We gathered around with Rose. "Well, Miss Hathaway, congratulations. You're going to be a mother." Rose nodded and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. I bent down next to her.

"You and me Roza, we can do this." I murmured in her ear. As Dr Olendzki walked away muttering something about organising an ultrasound, Rose leant up and kissed me on the lips, capturing my bottom lip between hers. I kissed her back in earnest, giving my love and support to her. I placed a hand on her stomach. I couldn't help but smile against her lips as I thought about our baby growing in there. _Our baby_. It sounded so perfect. Like, it was meant to be.

I pulled away from Rose and looked her in the eye. I looked over to Viktoria who passed me the little velvet box. I slid down on one knee. Rose gasped and her hands flew to her face. I heard Lissa's surprise behind me.

"I know the med clinic isn't your typical place for this, but the timing seems perfect to me." I took a deep breath and continued. "Rosemarie Hathaway, I promise to love you and our child everyday of forever. Would you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" I opened the tiny box and displayed the ring to her. It was a round design, with diamonds and the thin white gold band had diamonds set in it. I pulled it out of the box and took her hand in mine. I looked into her eyes, waiting for her answer.

"Yes. Oh god yes." She threw her arms around me and crushed her lips to mine. My heart swelled with joy and excitement. I grabbed her left and slid the ring into place. Perfect fit. Like they were made for each other. I could hear Lissa and Viktoria jumping up and down in the background.

"I love you. Forever." I murmured into her soft hair. I had a baby on the way and my fiancée. What more could I wish for in life?

**A/N. FINISHED. No, not really. There is still the prologue to come. What did you think? I hope I made it perfect for you guys! **

**I will post the link on my profile tomorrow of the ring. It's the same one my cousin proposed to his now wife with. I just loved it and thought I could use it for Dimitri and Rose. **

**20-30 reviewwws maybe? For the last official chapter :)**

**Stick around for the prologue, which will hopefully be up in the next week or so. **

**Reviews are better than having Dimitri Belikov get down on one knee and presenting you with a beautiful ring. Well, no not really, but they come pretty close.**


	22. Chapter 22 Epilogue

**My belated apologies for the ridiculous amount of time you have waited for this chapter. I had it finished months ago, but my laptop crashed and I hadn't backed it up and I kind of forgot about it with my other stories. So I am soooooo sorry! I hope you forgive me :)**

**This is the last chapter for this story, so enjoy !**

**Disclaimer: Vampire Academy is property of Richelle Mead, published by Penguin Group Razorbill. I in no way profit from this story and no copy write infringement is intended. I only own characters not recognized from the series.**

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Epilogue.

"Mommy, mommy!" I sat up in bed just as my four year old daughter launched her small body at me, a huge smile on her lips and giggling madly. "Save me from daddy!" she squealed as her daddy – my Russian God – came into the room, chasing her, his tickle hands at the ready.

My beautiful daughter, Izobella Vasilisa Belikov was a little miracle to say the least. I never knew it was even possible for me to get pregnant to another dhampir, but Dimitri and I had created this perfect child in an act of pure love and affection.

"Good morning moya lyubovʹ," he said, his bright dazzling smile shining brightly as he kissed me softly on the lips.

''No daddy." Izobella slapped her father's hand. "My mommy." She pouted and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck in a possessive manner.

"Izolbella!" I scolded gently. "Don't hit daddy.'' Izobella gave me an adorable smile and turned to Dimitri.

"I'm sorry daddy," she cooed to her father. Dimitri's face lit up and he scooped our daughter into his arms and cuddled her tightly close to his chest. The sight of the sweet father/daughter moment practically melted my heart.

Izobella looked mostly like me, but she had her father's eyes and, although she had my long, lightly curled hair, it was the same colour as Dimitri's shoulder length hair.

Dimitri put Izobella back down on her feet. "Angel, why don't you go over to Aunty Lissa's and Uncle Christian's house and wait for mommy and daddy there?''

"Okay!" she called, already toddling her way out the door. Lissa and Christian lived next door to us and you could access their house through a door that separated the two homes. Lissa and Christian had been married for six months now and were expecting their first child in four months time.

Dimitri lay down beside me and pulled my body closer to his. ''How did you sleep love?" he asked, his fingers lightly tracing from just below my breast down to my hip. I shuddered in pleasure.

"Amazingly after this little one stopped kicking and went to sleep.'' I said indicating my growing stomach. Yes, I was pregnant again and we couldn't be happier. Dimitri smiled brightly and touched my swollen stomach.

"I love you,'' he whispered in my ear. ''And I love _our _children.''

I kissed him softly and then pushed him back. "Come on, Comrade. We need to get over to Lissa's before our little monster of a child drives her and Christian insane. Although, if she wants, she can annoy Christian." I added with a mischievous smile. Izobella was very much like me in her boisterous attitude but she was also extremely compassionate and gentle like her father. She got the best of both worlds really.

Dimitri, Izobella and I had breakfast at Lissa and Christian's house every Sunday morning, along with Adrian and his girlfriend of three years, Sydney Sage. Despite all the antagonism toward the young couple by the snobby royals around Court because of their scandalous Moroi/Human relationship, they were as close and in love as any couple. Sydney had taken a bit of time getting used to being mentally bonded with Adrian Ivashkov and having to share his every thought. But, eventually he had won over her heart and with his constantly sweet thoughts about her, and she had agreed to go on a dinner and movie date with him. He had cooked for her and they sat and watched _The Hangover _together. I hadn't thought it was the type of movie you watch on your first date with someone, but Sydney had loved it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

''I wonder when they'll get married,'' I mused out loud as Dimitri threw clothes over to me so I could get dressed.

''Hmm?" Dimitri turned around to look at me. His face was puzzled by my supposedly random words about marriage.

''Sydney and Adrian.'' I clarified for him. The thought of the two made me smile. The pregnancy thing made me a sucker for romance with my emotions and hormones on a high, but they really were the most adorable couple and I was excited for them to get married and hopefully one day have the cutest kids – with the exception of my own of course. I knew that Sydney wanted to have kids – she had told me this when she was babysitting Izobella for me one day. She was really good with the little girl, playing with her and taking care of her. Really, you couldn't ask for a better babysitter than Sydney or Lissa. I assumed that Adrian also felt the same about starting a family with his long-time girlfriend. He was amazing with Izobella. Adrian was most definitely her favourite uncle. Sometimes I wondered whether she only adored him so much because he was always buying her extravagant and expensive gifts for no apparent reasons. Adrian claimed that there was no point in having so much money lying around if he didn't use it on his two favourite girls – Izobella and Sydney. The most recent gift my young daughter had received from her uncle was a pure gold necklace with her name on it. The first letter was encrusted with white diamonds that glistened in the sun and looked perfect against her tanned skin. To say that Izobella loved her necklace would be the understatement of the century. It was her most treasured gift yet.

"It's not going to be an easy task, them getting married." Dmitri pointed out. "Especially with Tatiana on Adrian's case to leave Sydney and marry a girl who she thinks is 'worthy' of having the Ivashkov royal name." The way Dimitri said 'worthy' made it sound like a dirty word. Queen Tatiana _despised _the serious relationship between her great nephew and the alchemist. She always went out of her way to ignore Sydney's presence if they were ever in the same room together or she would openly put Sydney down and attempt to shame her into leaving Adrian. Queen Bitch made me physically sick with her bullying ways and acting superior to those she considered to be a disgrace. I seriously just wanted to hook her in her ridiculously smug face every time I saw her. Bitch. Adrian always did everything he could possibly do to make her stop, but she would only pat him on the hand and say something like "Don't worry dear, I'll take care of you." To an unknowing outsider, her words may sound as though she is kind and considerate of her family, but I knew her better. What she was really saying was; "I'll get rid of the trash for you." Over time, Sydney had learned to just dismiss the cruel words of the queen and not let it affect "

"You know perfectly well that Adrian does not listen to anything that bitch says and he doesn't care what she thinks. He loves Sydney and we all know that they will get married one day and have pretty little babies." I grinned. Dimitri chuckled. I pulled a loose tank top down over my pregnant stomach.

"What time do we need to be at the doctors today?" Dimitri asked as we headed out of our bedroom door and over to Lissa's house.

"My appointment is at 12'oclock." I told him. I had my last routine check up today before our baby was due to be born. We didn't know the sex yet, opting to keep it a surprise. Both Dimitri and I would be ecstatic with either a boy or another little girl that Adrian could spoil. Either way, we would cherish our baby every single day of forever. I felt excitement as I ran my hand across my baby belly. Mine and Dimitri's child was growing in me.

As we entered Lissa's grand home hand in hand, we were greeted with the delicious smell of pancakes and bacon and eggs. The scent of the food made my stomach grumble and my mouth salivate in anticipation of breakfast. If I thought I was able to eat a lot of food before, it was nothing compared to the amount I was consuming now. Dimitri joked that I ate enough to feed an entire small country for a week. When I was pregnant with Izobella, my appetite had increased, but with this second child, I found that I was eating loads more.

"Good morning," I gave Lissa a kiss on the cheek and Christian a light punch in the shoulder by way of a greeting. I still enjoyed hitting Christian. It would always be fun.

Christian was lounging on the couch with Izobella perched on his knee as they watched cartoons together. Izobella bounced up and down on Christian's lap as the opening credits to _Phineas and Ferb _started. It was her favourite show and she loved watching it with Christian.

"Hey Rose," Lissa smiled as she moved a stack of pancakes off the stove top and began serving them out onto the plates.

"Breakfast is ready," she called to the others as Adrian and Sydney came through the front door. Adrian's hand was resting on Sydney's waist.

Noticing the new arrivals, Izobella jumped off Christian's lap and threw herself across the room and into Adrian's waiting arms. "Uncle Adriaaaaan!" she squealed as he wrapped her up in gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning beautiful girl." He cooed. Izobella stretched her arms out to Sydney who took her and gave the little girl a cuddle. "How did you sleep bub?" Adrian asked her.

"I slept real good!" she giggled angelically. "I was awake early and daddy and I watched cartoons and then I woke mommy up and we came here and I watched more cartoons with Uncle Christian!" My little girl had the energy of and energiser bunny. She bounced around on her feet giggling and chatting away to anyone who would listen. Izobella had every single person she met instantly wrapped around her little finger. All my friends and family worshiped her. Janine had come to terms with mine and Dimtri's relationship and when she found out I was pregnant with Izobella she was almost as happy as we were. She had been there every step of the way, holding my hand when I was in labour and taking care of Izobella when Dimitri and I needed a break from the constant crying when she was a new born. My mom was now in the Ukraine with her Moroi and I hadn't seen her since Lissa and Christian's wedding.

We all gathered at the table to eat breakfast. I seated myself between Adrian and Izobella who was in her special chair so she was at the same height as the table. I cut up her three pancakes so they were in bite size pieces and handed her a fork. She picked up the maple syrup and squeezed the bottle, dousing her food in the gooey sugar, and dug in. In no time she and everything around her was covered in syrup. I passed her a damp napkin and she rubbed it over her face, collecting all the sticky syrup. Izobella was having a fantastic time.

At around 11'oclock, Dimitri and I left to go get ready to go to the hospital. Izobella begged us to let her tag along, but with a firm hand, I relinquished her to Lissa who was going to take her shopping with Sydney.

"But I wanna go mommy," Izobella's large brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. It broke my heart when she cried, but she couldn't come to the hospital. It wasn't the place for a happy little girl.

"No baby, you get to go shopping for pretty dresses and fun toys with Aunty Lissa and Aunty Sydney," I told her as I kissed her on the head and stood up. Dimitri gave his daughter a cuddle and we left.

* * *

"Rosemarie Belikov," Doctor Zekky called.

"Hello Rose," the older woman gave Dimitri and I a warm smile as she led us into a room. "How is everything going?" she asked.

"Seems to be going well," I told her. "I haven't had any problems. Just the usual – sore back and legs – but nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well, we'll just do check of your vitals and make sure everything is fine." She got out the little flash light thing and shined it in my eyes. Satisfied that everything was fine with my eyes, she picked up a stethoscope. "Just lean forward dear and I'm going to lift your shirt at the back," I felt the cool round part of the stethoscope being placed against my back. She listened for a moment then put it away.

After chatting with her for a few minutes about the pregnancy, we stood and left the small room. As Dimitri and I emerged into the waiting room holding hands, I caught sight of a woman with satin black hair and pale skin. She was talking to a tall, well muscled man sitting next to her. He had his hand resting on her small baby bump. She looked up as we passed.

"Dimka!" she exclaimed. I groaned and rolled my eyes. Natasha Ozera. Just the person I needed to see on my quiet Sunday afternoon. Fan-fucking-tastic. Neither Dimitri nor I had seen Tasha in a while, not since she had a huge fight with Lissa over the wedding dress that Liss and I had spent weeks choosing. They hadn't spoken since. It had kind of put a bit of distance between Tasha and Christian.

Tasha threw her arms around my man and hugged him tight. Dimitri returned the hug less enthusiastically, knowing my dislike for her and her little crush on him. She then turned to me and gushed about how good I was looking and gave me a hug.

"So, Tasha, who's your friend?" I asked gesturing to the man with her. Judging by his muscular physique and tanned body, I could easily place him as a dhampir. To the untrained eye, he would look just like any human.

"Babe, come here," she held out her hand. "This is my fiancé and guardian Dominic Aleksandrov." Dominic stepped forward beside Tasha. I raised my eyebrow. It figured she had a thing for tall, hot Russians. Yes, he's hot. I'll admit that. But he was cast into a shadow by my gorgeous guy. "Dominic, this is Dimitri Belikov and his. . . wife Rose." Her mouth formed a thin line when she said my name. It looked as though it actually pained her to see me. I felt a smug smile growing on my lips. It always gave me satisfaction knowing that others were jealous that I was the lucky girl who Dimitri fell in love with and every day I thanked my lucky stars that he had. Clearly there was someone upstairs looking out for me.

Because Dimitri had been brought up to be the ever so polite guy he was, he held out his hand to Dominic who took it. "Hey, it's nice to meet you," he said smoothly.

I turned to Tasha, taking my eyes away from Dominic's well built physique. "We need to get going," I told her. "We've left Izobella with Lissa and Sydney." I slid my hand into Dimitri's and began to pull him away. "Toodles." I called over my shoulder with a grin. Tasha shot me a dirty look which I ignored.

Dimitri chuckled as we got into the car. "That wasn't nice, Roza." He chastised with a smirk.

"It was fun!" I exclaimed. "And besides, she went and got herself a Russian with a _very _similar name to you. Coincidence? I think not."

"Oh Roza, who cares who she's with? I certainly don't."

"I love you," I said randomly

"You, are the most beautiful, charming, perfect, insane and crazy woman I know," he smiled. "And that is why I love you more than anything in the world. That and because you've given me a gorgeous little girl and you're carrying my child," he rested his hand on my belly. "What more could I possibly ask for?"

I gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Let's go see our little girl." I said simply.

* * *

"Mommy, daddy!" Izobella cheered as we walked through the door to Lissa's house. "Look what Aunty Lissa and Aunty Sydney got me!" she held up two bags filled with clothes. There were several more bags on the floor, plus a new doll that she had already pulled out of its box and was now discarded on the couch.

"Who's a spoilt girl!" crooned, giving her a kiss. "Show mommy what you got." She pulled out numerous dresses, tops, jeans, shoes and toys.

"I got lots of stuff!"

I looked at Lissa. "You spoil her too much." She waved me off, ignoring my comment.

"We had a great time, didn't we Bella?"

"Yup," Izobella nodded her head up and down.

Dimitri and I had planned a little picnic for us and Izobella by the lake about a half hour from here.

"Are you ready to go angel? I asked her. "Mommy and daddy are going to take you on a picnic."

"Picnic!" she cheered, doing a little fist pump.

Dimitri came through the door then, a backpack slung over his shoulder. I took a moment to absorb the piece of man-candy presented in front of me. Dimitri was wearing cut off denim shorts, a V-neck firm fitted pale blue shirt and white canvas shoes. He looked _delectable. _Especially compared to me in my maternity shorts and tank top. Next to Dimitri, I looked like a slob. But they way his eyes lit up when he saw me, rid my mind of any negative thoughts I had about myself. Being with Dimitri, I felt like a princess or a goddess. I could be wearing a tracksuit with no makeup and he would still look at me like I was the most beautiful girl on earth. That's why I loved him. Not just for his amazingly good looks, but for his gentle nature and compassionate attitude. He was perfect for me. And he was the best dad any child could ask for.

"Are you ready my love?" he asked coming up behind me and placing his hands on our baby.

"Yep, we're ready aren't we Izobella?"

"Yeah!" she held her hands out to her dad. Dimitri picked her up. Izobella gave him the cutest and most loving smile. "We're going on a picnic daddy!"

"I know baby," he tickled her with one hand and she giggled and squirmed in his arms.

Once we had everything in the car we set off.

* * *

"This is for you daddy," Izobella held out her hand. In her palm was a lily flower.

"Thank you baby, it's very pretty. But not as pretty as you," he grabbed her and lay her on her back and promptly began tickling her ribs until she could hardly breathe.

"Stop daddy, stop!" she continued to laugh, the sound was like a melody. She had the most angelic laugh.

"Come on bub," he took her hand and led her down to the edge of the lake. "You coming Rose?" he asked. I shook my head and relaxed back on the blanket.

"No you two go. I'll sit here and watch." I told him with a smile.

I watched the father and daughter as they laughed and played around the water. Dimitri pulled off his shirt, and got Izobella down to her shorts and took her in to the clear cool water. Izobella loved the water, and she loved swimming. Dimitri was teaching her how to swim in Lissa's backyard pool. He pulled her into deeper water, still holding on to her hands tightly and let her kick her feet so she was able to keep her head above the waters level.

As the sun began to set, I felt a pain in my stomach. "Ouch," I muttered, rubbing the spot where it hurt. I stood up and saw that there was a wet patch where I had been sitting. "Shit."

"Dimitri!" I called to my husband who was now lounging around the water while Izobella sat in the shallow part of the water. He turned around and saw my panicked expression. In an instant he had Izobella in his arms and was jogging toward me.

"Roza, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I think it's time," I told him just as another contraction hit me. I doubled over in pain and groaned at the sharp feeling. "Dimitri, now!" I commanded. He had everything packed and ready to go in record time. We were soon in the car, speeding back to Court.

I called ahead to Lissa. "Hey Liss," I said when she answered the phone on the third ring. "I've just gone into labour and I need you to go into my room and grab my duffle bag from the closet. And make sure Christian is there because I'll need someone to look after Izobella." I rattled off at top speed.

"Rose! Are you serious? Oh my gosh!" I heard her call to Christian to tell him the baby was on the way. "Okay, i'll get your stuff and meet you outside. How long will you be?"

"About fifteen minutes," I told her looking at the clock.

"Alright, we'll be ready," the line went dead and I locked my iPhone and shoved it back in my bag.

I took deep breaths, trying to control them. Dimitri reached out his hand and laced his fingers through mine. "You're doing great Roza. Just a few hours and you'll be a mom again." He flashed a breathtaking smile. I squeezed his hand. Izobella was alert and worried in the back seat.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked. I looked into the revision mirror. I deep frown had formed upon her beautiful face.

"I'm okay angel. Mommy's having a baby. Remember daddy and I told you that you would be having a little brother or sister to play with?" she nodded. "Well, you will get to meet him or her very soon."

"Ohhh." Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape. Adorable!

We pulled in through the gates to Court, barely pausing to confirm our identification. But the guy at the gate was friends with Dimitri and I and as soon as he saw what state I was in, he waved us through, wishing me good luck.

"Dimitri," I murmured. He looked at me as he pulled the car to a stop and rushed around to get Izobella out. Lissa was waiting at the door. "Babe, I'm scared." I said.

"You're going to do great Roza, you were amazingly brave the first time. And I know you will do even better this time." His warm smile graced his lips as he leaned in through my open window to kiss me. "I love you," he whispered against my lips.

Dimitri lifted Izobella up to the window so I could give her a kiss and cuddle. "Mommy will see you soon, okay baby. You get to play with Uncle Christian for now."

After getting Izobella in the house, Lissa jumped in the backseat while Dimitri returned to his spot behind the wheel. Lissa reached her arm around and took my hand in hers. "You are amazing." She said simply. With still a few months to go before her baby was due, Lissa was already freaking out about the pain thing. She, unlike me, couldn't withstand pain easily. After everything I had been through and all the pain – physically and emotionally – that I had experienced, I was a pro at dealing with pain.

Dimitri pulled up outside the hospital just outside Court and hurried around to get me out. He swooped me into his arms and threw my bag to Lissa. "Let's do this." He kissed me again.

We got to the triage nurse in emergency and she called Dr Zekky straight away. "Rose! You're early," she said with a smile as I was placed in a wheel chair.

"Well, you know, the kid wants out." I joked. I was only a week early, so there shouldn't be any complications. And on my last ultrasound two weeks ago, everything had been fine and the baby had been nearly fully grown anyway.

Let me tell you, four hours of labour is no walk in the park. But, I was damn lucky that it was twenty-four hours of labour. I don't think I could have lasted that long.

"Okay Rose, you're ready to start pushing." Dr Zekky told me. "You are fully dilated and whether you like it or not, this baby is coming now." I loved Dr Zekky. She had been through Izobella's birth with me and she had been amazing.

And this time was no different. She even put up with my incessant swearing. Yes, my children enter the world to my foul mouth. Dimitri held my right hand while Liss gripped my left. ". . . And push." Dr Zekky commanded. I squeezed my best friend's and my husband's hands even harder, hoping that I wouldn't break Lissa's small hand.

"Fuck." I swore, not bothering to keep it down.

"Deep breaths, Roza, you're doing just fine." Dimitri whispered in my ear. I pushed him away.

"This is all your fault you know! If you could just keep it in your pants for two seconds, I wouldn't be going through this! Fuck you!" Of course, I didn't mean it. This one was definitely a planned baby. But, I was in pain and when I was in pain, my filter went out the door.

"Last one, Rose." Dr Zekky said.

I pushed with everything I had, using up my last ounce of energy and collapsed back onto the pillows, exhausted. The sound of newborn cries filled the room. I revelled in the sound. It meant I was done, it was all over and I had my baby.

"Congratulations Rose, you have a little boy," Dr Zekky wrapped him in a soft blanket and placed the little bundle of pink flesh in my arms. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but I ignored it.

Dimitri leaned in and kissed me gently and then placed a kiss atop our son's head. He had a little patch of dark hair. The same colour as Dimitri's. I hoped I would have a mini version of my Russian God.

"He's perfect," Dimitri murmured staring at his son with love and tear filled eyes.

"What are you going to name him?" Lissa asked, touching him gently on the cheek.

I looked up to Dimitri. "I was thinking Cooper Ivan Belikov?" Ivan for Dimitri's best friend. It was only fair. Izobella's middle name was Vasilisa after my best friend, so our baby boy should have Ivan's name in it.

"It's perfect," he whispered kissing my lips.

Christian poked his head in the door. "I think someone out here is desperate to meet her baby brother," Izobella stuck her head between Christian's legs so she could see it. She toddled in, around him.

"Mommy, I wanna see the baby," she called. Cooper had just fallen asleep, and I shushed Izobella.

"Come here Izobella," Lissa said quietly. She picked her up and placed her on the bed with Dimitri, Cooper and I. She then stood back and got her camera from her bag.

"A perfect family moment." She clicked the camera.

I couldn't be happier. I had my daughter, my son and my perfect husband.

* * *

**AN. I have **_**finally **_**finished this story. It's the first full length fiction ive ever completed and I must say, I couldn't be more proud of myself. When I started this story a year ago, I never thought id have the attention span to stick with it, but although it may have taken me ages and with long gaps between updates, I did finish it and proved my family wrong ! **

**To my lovely readers that have stuck with me through the long process, THANK YOU SO MUCH. You have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. I seriously love you !**

**If there are any mistakes in the chapter, feel free to PM me or leave it in a review as this was unedited. **

**For the last time for **_**Dimitri and Rose: The Forbidden Love, **_**let the reviewing begin !**

**And be sure to check out my other stories; **_**The Struggle Against Desire **_**and a little one-shot songfic, **_**Taking My Heart, My Soul, My Everything .**_

**B. xx**


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